Manu Garba’s Failed Mission to New Zealand

Two years ago at the United Arab Emirate, Nigeria’s U17 team-Golden Eaglets, led by Coach Manu Garba beat all comers to cart away the FIFA World Cup for an unprecedented fourth time. The team and the coaching crew were praised to high heavens for a job we

"Iis either the Cup or nothing else for Nigeria. There is a lot of pressure but we do not allow it to affect us because once we put yourself under pressure, you are most likely to make a lot of mistakes. For us, we do not know the word pressure. We do our best and just pray for mother luck. We have all it takes to go all the way and take the Cup back to Nigeria,” Manu Garba declared before the Flying Eagles first group game against Brazil at the Taranaki Stadium, in New Plym¬outh, New Zealand.

Speaking to THISDAY after the team’s first game against Brazil which the Flying Eagles lost 4-2, former international Mutiu Adepoju said: "Before their game against Brazil I was one of the many Nigerians that was of the opinion that these crop of players can go all the way to win the trophy but my opinion changed after watching their first game. "They gave Brazil too much respect and they did not take their chances when it came. The team cannot compare with the one I played in 1989. This present side does not have the same hunger when compared to the side I played alongside with Saudi Arabia.”

Garba was to realise after his team’s exit from New Zealand that the U20 competition was of much higher standard than the U17 competition.

“The U20 World Cup is as good as your senior national team. After our bronze winning feat at the 1985 edition of the World Youth Championship in Moscow, on returning to Nigeria, more than half of the team went on to play for the then Green Eagles. At 19, a good player must have been setting his eyes on the national team. That is the only way you can see players play for a decade or more for the senior national team,” former Nigerian international Waidi Akani said in an interview with THISDAY.

Buttressing Akani’s argument, 1984 Africa Cup of Nations silver winner, Paul Okuku in a chat with our correspondent in his base in the United States said it indeed, Garba had equated the U17 competition which he won in 2013 to that of U20, then the result was what we are witnessed.

“After my exploit in the Flying Eagles in 1981, six of my teammates were drafted to the Green Eagles by coach Adegboye Onigbide, and this goes to tell anyone that cares to listen that the U20 team of any country is the factory which the senior team is built," Okoku attested.

Though the assistant coach of the team Nduka Ugbade said before the competition that the Flying Eagles was ready for the FIFA U-20 World Cup but his boss’ admission that he knew nothing about the team’s first opponent went on to show that Nigeria was not fully ready for the tournament.

“Our preparation has been so wonderful to the extent. We are ready for the World Cup and we have our training tour in Germany,” Ugbade said.

But when asked how much he knew about his first opponent –Brazil, he said: “Sincerely speaking, we know very little about them, but then everyone knows the Brazilian philosophy – they play the way we want by moving the ball from the rear; they don’t kick long balls. This style is good for our own pattern of play.”

The Nigeria U20 handler has however said the team learnt a lot from the tournament after their second round exit to Germany, lauding his team despite their second round exit against Germany, saying his wards could be proud of themselves for their efforts.

“I believe that our players learnt a lot from this game and a big lesson in general from the tournament. The level at U-20s is far higher than at U-17s and Germany is a very tough and highly tactical team. Our players lost concentration at the crucial moment and this gave the Germans a chance to score. Our goalkeeper played a great game though and may have saved that ball if he had a clear view, but there is nothing we can do now,” Garba told Fifa.com.

“All my players have been in great form and I am proud of them all. There have been so many unexpected results in this tournament, but one can never predict the winner. I give my thanks to New Zealand for showing love for our team, the people here have made us feel at home,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, Garba, has been accused of taking bribe from players to play them in the U20 World Cup though the under fire boss has dismissed suggestions that he received gratification from Saviour Godwin’s agent to include the FC Sports forward in his 21man roster for the World Cup at the expense of Alhassan Ibrahim.

Garba has however threatened court action against individuals accusing him of collecting bribes from players even as he has also disowned a Facebook account, which carries his names and the impostor who had been cashing on unsuspecting players and teams.

“My attention has been drawn to stories that I have defrauded players and teams through Facebook by demanding cash from them before they are picked by me,” Manu said in a statement from the Flying Eagles Media Officer, Sam Audu.

“To begin with, I do not have a Facebook page and I have directed my lawyers to take action against the media outfit that published a story alleging such malicious lies against my person.

“I am not aware of these allegations and have never met those people who are now coming up with these stories.

“It was also most unprofessional of the media not to double check such a story with me even when I have always left an open door to the media, first when I was a player and now as a coach.”

Manu further said he has lived above board with merit being the main yardstick in his selection of players.

“I know there are many interests when it comes to player selection, but I can beat my chest and say I have always picked players who deserve to be on the team.

“This was why we won in style the U17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates in 2013 and then the African Youth Championship this year in Senegal.

“Nobody made those allegations then and so when such things are coming through now, you can clearly see that some people are malicious and just wish to draw undue attention to themselves and nothing more.”

Meanwhile, President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has praised the Flying Eagles despite their crashing out of the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup.

“When things turn out this way, we look at the positives. This is why I will call on us all to congratulate this set of players because they certainly made us proud. They played with finesse and grace; real potential for the future of our game. The crowd loved them at the two venues where they played, and the unity in the team showed in the way they conducted themselves all through the tournament.

“Football is about winning; but winning has different dimensions. We may not have won today, but we have won a battle to take our desired dream one step further. Our dream being, to not just win matches and trophies, but to develop a sustainable football culture for Nigeria," the NFF boss further said.

Looking to the future, Nigeria's football chief enthused that the current crop of Flying Eagles players will go on to become important players in the senior team.

“With the adoption of the scheme where our 2013 U-17 World Cup winners were elevated almost en bloc to become our U-20 team, we have seen enough to tell us that this same U-20 group that played and lost today, is good enough to become the future of our football. And we will continue to encourage that the group be kept together and grow together to give us a winning senior squad. With encouragement from everyone – the Federation, media and our highly enlightened ball fans – we can inject a few technical aspects to support this group to become the best in the not-too-distant future," he said.

The FIFA U20 World Cup title has eluded Nigeria who have made it to final on two occasions in Saudi Arabia in 1989 and Netherlands in 2005.