Adam Mohammed: Task Force necessary for Super Eagles to qualify for 2022 World Cup
The Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Football Association, Alhaji Adam Mouktar Mohammed, has backed calls by Nigerians for a formidable Task Force to be constituted to help the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in prosecuting the 2022 World Cup playoff. In this interview with Trust Sports, the football administrator also spoke on why the Super Eagles failed to soar in Cameroon, an ideal technical adviser for the senior national team and Nigeria’s chances against arch-rivals Ghana in the 2022 World Cup playoff to be staged in March.
How would you rate the performance of the Super Eagles at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon? Thank you so much for this interview. I will rate the Super Eagles performance at the 2021 AFCON as unfortunate, regrettable and unacceptable. I say so because Nigeria is a powerhouse in football. We went into the tournament with great expectations and we started off on a good note winning all the group stage matches. Unfortunately, we lost it in such a way that was really really very unfortunate and a lot of Nigerians are unhappy. The players put in their best but when it mattered most, their best was not enough. Tunisia came with a better game plan.
In concrete terms, what would you say caused the early exit of the Super Eagles?
In my personal opinion, there was a bit of over excitement. We kind of overrated ourselves and expectations were too high. There was so much talk about winning the tournament and I feel that was too early. There was too much pressure as well. So many visits to the dressing room. That shouldn’t have been. We should have allowed the players to concentrate on the job and when you get somewhere around semi-finals, then you can talk about winning. We got carried away and took our eyes off the ball and that was why we lost.
Would you say the sack of Gernot Rohr worked against the Super Eagles?
We don’t know the future so we can’t say what the future holds. We just look at his records. Data does not lie. So, if consistently he has been at the helm for six years or five years plus, what has been his record in the tournament? This would help us answer the question. Well, he deserves credit for scouting most of the players in the team and trying to bring the best out of them. The decision to sack him on the eve of the tournament to bring in a new coach with a new style definitely affected the team.
What would you say are the positive changes that Eguavoen has brought to the team?
Eguavoen came in with a fresh new approach. I have not been a part of the backroom staff and I don’t have insight or useful info about his preparations, game plan and pep talk, so I don’t know those details. However, what I can imagine is that typically, he gave more room for the players to express themselves. But good or bad, there are different opinions about that. If you allow your players to dribble more, or to play individual game, it makes them happy but does that help the team?
Do you support calls for Eguavoen or another local coach to be appointed as Super Eagles technical adviser?
I am always a proponent of local coaches being given the opportunity to handle the job. I believe in giving opportunities to former internationals and even individuals who didn’t play for the country but have capacities and have proven themselves over and over, maybe in the local league or with the national teams in the past, to take a shot at the job. All we
need is a long-term plan and to align it with the candidate that we want to hire for the job. And we must ask ourselves if we have the ability to hire the best coaches. We must decide if we can afford such coaches because the best of the best come at a high price. I have said it before that a coach needs to be a perfect fit to your football philosophy or style. The candidate you are looking for must possess certain qualities or abilities to align himself and deliver on that mandate. So, it is about picking the right person. It is not about Austin or another indigenous coach but how we align our goals with the candidate we want to hire.
Sadiq Umar was one of the most criticised Super Eagles players at the 2021 AFCON. Were Nigerians fair in their criticism of the young striker?
It is normal in football with fans. We get emotional most times. We have a lot of armchair analysts. It is not easy playing at that level. And it is unfair to single out an individual like you mentioned Sadiq Umar. I don’t think he did badly. He has the quality to perform and he did fairly okay. But usually in tournaments, we like to find scapegoats and it’s not going to stop soon. So, for a player, you have to be strong mentally.
Do you support calls for a Task Force to be set up to help the NFF in prosecuting the 2022 World Cup playoff against Ghana?
I do support those calling for a Task Force because we need all hands to be on deck. We have to be at the next World Cup because it will be a huge disappointment if we miss out of the tournament that is close to us. So, we have no option than to be there. We must ensure that planning and execution of the playoff is handled by the best brains we have in the country. It is a national project. We have to go to the World Cup and make Nigerians proud. What are the Super Eagles’ chances against the Black Stars of Ghana?
Honestly, considering the rivalry between us, it is a 50-50 situation. Ghana is also a powerhouse in African football. They have achieved so much. They have great players and a great spirit so we can’t take them for granted. They also want to be at the World Cup. We must take the game with all seriousness. There should be no ounce or iota of over confidence in preparation or approach to the game.