Nigeria Can Win the Next World Cup
I am not under any illusion about our ability as a football-playing nation. In Africa we still cause some jitters. My Ghanaian taxi driver friend can no longer derogate the Super Eagles.
Now, during our long distance phone discussions all he talks about is the decline of football in his country. I have not done a check but I believe we have more people playing football than anywhere else in the World! I have a funny feeling that our children know about football in the womb. Unlike in Brazil, India, and the USA, football is the number one sport, the number one passion in our country.
We have subsequently done very well in global football competitions, winning the FIFA Under- 17 tournament a record five times! Our women’s team is the best in Africa and one of the best in the World. Not many know it but our Super Eagles introduced hustling to world football in 1994 when we played at the World Cup for the first time.
According to Newsweek magazine, the type of football we brought to the World Cup was refreshingly different in the strength, sheer athleticism and hustling displayed by our players. So, just like Arsenal taught England how to play beautifully, sexy football, we brought hustling to football. Since our first appearance in 1994, we have qualified for the World Cup six times. Getting to the second round four times. Each time the world looks out for the magic that could come from our country and we really have not been able to bring this magic on except when on June 13, 1998 we defeated Spain 3-2. Before that time, Spain was the team to beat having been unbeaten in 18 previous matches. Since that time, our team has failed to really sparkle. Putting up average performances that invariably saw them not meeting up with its giant killers tag of 1994 and1998.
This year in Russia, we had a bad World Cup. Let no one fool you. We had the youngest team that naturally was short on experience. But our coach could not maximize our strength. The Croatians forced their pattern on us thereby preventing the Super Eagles from playing to their potentials. We lost 0-2. Technical ineptitude and a useless VAR ensured we lost to an Argentine team that had no business beating us! The wonder is that despite our poor results from our pre -World Cup matches our coach was unable to re-gig and create a team that would play to its strength.
But all these are in the yesterday of our life. I believe if we work hard and stay focused we can win the next World Cup in Qatar in 2022. We currently have the players who should have matured considerably by the next World Cup. We may not be relying on the speed of Odion Ighalo at that time but the bulk of the young guns we currently have would have matured considerably. Similarly, I expect that the coach would find and sustain enough competition for places in the team. There are many players outside the squad at the moment who should occasionally be invited to compete for places. Our squad to next year’s Africa Cup of Nations should include two or more first timers to the team who would expectedly blossom by 2020/21. We should strive to retain the template we had while preparing for the last World Cup in Russia by ensuring that the welfare of the players received utmost attention from our football federation. If we are retaining Gernot Rohr till 2020, an indigenous coach must be employed now not only to assist him but should be upgradeable to take over from him for the 2022 World Cup. I have a firm belief that it is only a Nigerian coach in the mould of a matured Sunday Oliseh that can take us to the semi-finals of the World Cup and beyond.
The situation we must create should be one that would dovetail into achieving our nation’s full potential in football. To this end, I believe our coach must be given a free hand but must be encouraged to discuss in details with a technical committee made up of seasoned coaches, journalists and ex- players. The body must not be more than nine.
In the interim the NFF must concentrate on our age group teams that will serve as a feeder team to the senior national team.
All considered, we must, like a one time Chairman of the NFA, Group Captain Tony Ikhazoboh, once suggested, not only make qualifying for the Cup of