Daily Independent Online.
*
Friday, June 11, 2004.
Obagoal’s euphoria and Igbinedion’s
admonition
By Ben Alaiya
Sports
Editor
For Nigerians, particularly football fans,
history means nothing, but the truth is that we must follow the past to know
the present and possibly define the future.
That is why the story of Obafemi Martins is
so sweet, yet, so unpredictable so far for followers of the round leather game
whose compass is smart enough to know where those administering the game are
taking us to.
For the records, it took more than enough patience
for the Inter Milan star to decide whether he wants to star for Nigeria or
Cameroun. The final conclusion was so sweet and swift that followers are
wondering whether it would endure for the playing career of the player in
question.
As the battlers continue their debate, the
mind of any football iconoclast stems a sudden realization of whether we have
treated our past superstars with the same level of patience that the Obafemi
matter has been handled, the simple answer is No!.
For ethno-centrics there is now an
avalanche of players of the Yoruba stock in the national team. Ordinarily, that
should bring cause for joy to any lover of the game who is aware of the
contribution that this great part has made to football development. But the bug
worry is that the players are there not because of their talents but because
the president of the federation is from that part of the divide or perhaps the
Secretary General has an agenda that before he leaves the secretariat of the
NFA, fresh Odegbamis, Owolabis and Muda Lawals must be discovered at any cost,
including, possibly sacrificing the Germany 2006 ticket.
Foolish thoughts, but how logical they
sound depending on your followership of national team happenings. So the man
that Patrick Okpomo, (whatever defence he has for Ogunjobi’s ascension)
installed as the Chief Executive of the football fraternity in Nigeria, is now
superintending over the very issues that Okpomo will ordinarily not condone as
SG.
Not to worry, last week, the Edo state governor, Chief Lucky Igbinedion,
gave a sound appraisal of the thought of the football fraternity in the country
when he sounded a firm warning that quota system should no longer be used as a
parameter for selecting national team stars.
“If the players come from the same
family and they have been found worthy of national team assignment let them be
instead of bring stars from other areas whose talents are less than the ones on
the bench. Quota system must be
removed from football, no matter what it cost”, he declared at the national
draws of the Coca-Cola FA Cup..
You ask, how we got the governor’s
musings. Well we moderated the very occasion that the declaration was made and
the truth of the matter is that Igbinedion is saying the minds of the real
Nigerian football public.
Obafemi Martins is good but he is not the
same player as Julius Aghahowa and he can’t be Yakubu Aiyegbeni, the same
players that have been delivering for their club sides and Nigeria and whom
Ogunjobi is so desperate to exit from national scheme of things.
At the moment it seem Ogunjobi is having
his way because he has the ears of those who rule over the affairs of the
ministry but common sense dictates that you can’t invite a certain Taiye
Taiwo and Seyi Olajengbesi why you are leaving out real stars like Endurance
Idahor and, yes, Efetobore Sodje. After all we are in search of tall players.
The governor has spoken and the truth is
that football administrators know where the real talents are, no matter the
advertised level of imposition of stars that they suffer at the Glass House.
As we continue the search for the real
super stars in the national team, Igbinedion has spoken the minds of numerous
people who apparently are too scared of the establishment to make their points
and that is the fact that no matter what ethnic sentiments that there may be,
national aspiration overrides every other thing. Abi not soo?.
It translates to mean that if we are celebrating Obagoal, we
must not forget those who were flying the flag before their arrival to the
international stage. Let’s make up with Aiyegbeni, Aghahowa and perhaps
Sunday Oliseh in the spirit of national interest.
