The Sports ministry last week presented with panache a ten year football development plan to the President of Nigeria Muhammdu Buhari, and he rightly reminded every citizen the importance of football to the social and economic development of the country.
That is the only beautiful thing Nigerians can take away from the presentation. Football is important to us, it has brought us joy right from the days when Father Dennis Slattery founded the FA in 1945 and to these chequered days notwithstanding.
Nigerians take pride in their national team from the time the Red Devils played barefooted to now where the Super Eagles play with almost gold plated boots, football has always been the number one sport and it would continue to be.
And so when interlopers have entered into Nigeria football administration like viruses invade a healthy body, football is overwhelmed and gradually illness has cut it down like a child having a stunted growth. This has been the lot of Nigerian football for the past two decades. The men and women who make it into the echelons of its administration are less concerned about the development of the game and also the youths, the fathers and mothers who work the process daily in the offices and in the fields.
People in football authority and their collaborators in the sports ministry, only pretend they love the country’s football with passion, whereas it is the foreign currency flowing in every year into the coffers of the NFF, they are majorly concerned about.
One of the viruses that have plagued football in Nigeria, is government’s often discreet and open handed involvement in its day to day running. Starting from the time Amos Adamu was made sole administrator to now when Mr. Sunday Dare, the sports minister is marshaling a ten year development plan, government by it undue interference have clogged the wheel of progress in the country’s football.
A ten year development plan for what? The very things those running Mock Nations Cup in Ajegunle can wake from their slumber and implement effectively. But how else would the sports minister prove to his boss Buhari that he is working and working wonders. Working wonders when everything football has already collapsed.
Back to the realities of a disjointed and confused orchestra…No African Cup of Nations glory, no World Cup appearance, no Africa women cup of Nations… worst result by the nine time African champions, no club continental contests to the last four, one of the worst leagues in the African continent and the list goes on. These are sad turn of events for a once football buoyant Nigeria, the Brazil of Africa as some would want to describe the country’s process in the game.
Very bad vibes from the glasshouse and it is very convenient to pin it on Mr. Pinnick. He and his sorry ass attempt to run for a third term as NFF president was bludgeoned into submission, he panicked and he ran away with his group of Super Falcons crooners who wanted him badly to continue.
Mr. Pinnick’s administration should be the climax of the long running soap of ineptitude in the football house. His beginning was ugly and the end even uglier. September 30 presents another opportunity to put things right. A long list of candidates, some are serious, while some others are there to add comic relief to the tensions expected to arise.
Would it be the same old story of bribing delegates with $7,000 or even more this time around or delegates would they pick the right candidate that would shun government overtures and make the NFF like the English FA or shall we say Cameroon Football Federation where Samuel Eto’o emerged and president. Cameroon football is better off with his coming on board,.
It is the same thing Mr. Pinnick with all his positions in CAF and FIFA, couldn’t do in his own backyard Abuja. He failed to bear his weight down and pull every string that needed to be pulled. You cannot give what you don’t have and so Nigerians were right in their unanimous call for him to step aside and he Pinnick said he was being hated.
Some of his cohorts in the misadventure at the NFF are poised to ascend federation to job. Hopeful the delegates would do themselves honour to elect the most credible candidate from the bunch in which unfortunately are top runners who have been ingrained and actively been involved in government’s overbearance in football matters in the country.
If government means well for football development in the Nigeria, the first thing it should do is to roll back it’s involvement, and allow football passionate individuals and technocrats to be in the helms.
As rich as the English FA, the British government still give it grant and they are never involved in it administrative affairs.