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 Daily Independent Online.
* Friday, July 23, 2004.
Danger signals from Zimbabwe
By Pat Odili
e-mail: [email protected]
Reports
from Zimbabwe, Nigeria’s next opponent in the World Cup and Africa Cup of
Nations 2006 qualifiers say that Nigerians in that country are worried by
nerve shattering news reaching them from home on the Eagles’ preparations
for the September 5
encounter.
Their worries
emanate from the near state of inertia which preparations for the
all-important game has assumed. They are also worried and have even
expressed misgivings about the timing of the proposed restructuring of
the Nigeria Football Association.
Their
apprehensions are as a result of what efforts the Zimbabweans are putting
into preparations for the match, which they have sworn to win. Our
Zimbabwe-based brothers are not the only ones losing sleep over the
nation’s attitude to the match, which by all reckoning is round the
corner. I share their views and apprehension and want to warn that the
uninspiring performance against Algeria would be child’s play if the
arrogance and complacency we showed before that match is carried into the
next stage.
Chief Segun
Odegbami is not comfortable with the idea of hiring a new coach at this
time. Mike Emenalo, a former Nigerian international is equally not
comfortable with our approach to the tie against Zimbabwe. Odegbami wants
a programme and priorities identified before we embark on the hiring of a
new coach. He says we have not pinpointed what we want for 2006 and 2010.
The thinking in the sports ministry is at variance with that of Chief
Odegbami. Germany and Egypt 2006 are goals that must be attained but planning towards attaining
these set objectives is not getting the priority attention it deserves.
Emenalo says
the approach to the Zimbabwe tie is disheartening. He sees it as an
exhibition of pride, which our opponents are determined to puncture even
while admitting that the Super Eagles is the most unpredictable team in
the continent. The onus is now on us to prove them right or wrong even as
we have lined the route to an effective execution of this assignment with
booby traps . The NFA right now has its hands full. The football house is
desperately searching for a world class coach to take the Eagles through
these qualifiers. The task,
as we have seen has not been as easy as envisaged. Jean Tigana, who has
been touted as one of the possibles has denied ever applying for the job.
Rattled by
Tigana’s assertion, NFA obviously short of applicants has sought the
assistance of FIFA. The football house is asking FIFA to furnish it with
a list of Grade A coaches from which it could make its pick. What this
means is that FIFA will have to serve as the go-between in the
negotiations. It seems the only way out as the chosen candidate can
always go back to FIFA if we default. The calibre of coach the nation wants
will stick no nonsense especially as our track record with even lowly
rated coaches has been anything but attractive.
From the look
of things, the search for a new coach is not going to end in the next
couple of weeks even though the NFA had come up with dates when the new
man will assume duty.
While the
search is going on, the restructuring committee haven been given its
terms will be working feverishly to meet its deadline. At the football
house, it is hush hush as
staffers are no longer at
ease. The least being Ogunjobi who is the arrow head in the search for a
new coach and one of the main targets of the restructuring exercise.
Coach
Christian Chukwu whose contract expires next month has only been given
verbal assueance that he would still be part of the national team even
after the foreign coach has been engaged. As good natured as Chukwu is, a verbal promise is not enough to guarantee
his loyalty to the cause. But we are hoping he will remain loyal and
pursue the set goal with everything he has
while we await the arrival of the yet-to-be-found technical expert.
An even
greater problem which we should not lose sight of is that of the players.
With the English premiership kicking off in a matter of weeks and club
managers bent on having their full squad in place for pre-season matches
and the opening league games, the NFA has to brace up for the battle with
these managers over the release of the country’s players for the game against
Zimbabwe.
We went to
Rwanda with a rag tag army that was even less than a platoon and were
feasted on. The possibility of going to Zimbabwe with another hurriedly
assembled team is looming. It can only be averted if we start sounding
out these premiership club managers and soliciting their assistance in
the release of our national team players.
Although
there is a mandatory FIFA law that club managers oblige nations the use
of their players if and when they ask especially for world cup games, we
can not rule out the possibility of the clubs denying receipt of the
invitation letters sent through them to the players. There is also the
possibility that the managers acknowledge receipt of the invitation
letters and still refuse to release the players.
All these
self-inflicted distractions and envisaged bottle necks, can put our
outing in Harare in jeopardy unless there is a concerted effort now, not
later, to ensure that we go to Harare with a complete squad . I sincerely
wish I can share in Ogunjobi’s optimism that camping in London will make assembling the team
easier.It should be but will it? Nigerians in Zimbabwe want to see our
stars on parade and in action. It will make them feel good in the looming
ego war. Let us pray.
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