Nigerian Football: Between Amaju Pinnick and The Gods

An Excited Nigerian Football Fan

Listening to Amaju Pinnick talk about soccer in general and Nigeria in particular you'd be excused for thinking that the guy expects angels from heaven's first eleven to come down on behalf of teams to secure wins, especially the national team. During an interview, he flatly denied that adequate planning; preparation, funding and selflessness could result in the Nigeria, or any country, winning the World Cup. He believed only the 'god of soccer' can make it happen.  Since everything has a spiritual dimension in the world of Mr Pinnick, one must assume that football match losses are acts of the devil. Why then do we blame Sunday Oliseh and other recent unfortunate coaches for the National team's performance?

Recently, Pinnick appeared to have revealed the gods he was referring to during a Harvard conference. While speaking at the conference, hot on the heels of Sunday Oliseh's exit as the national coach of the Super Eagles, the God-intoxicated Pinnick declared, "…We have turned the corner."  After enumerating the performance of those he somewhat condescendingly called 'local coaches' the "prophet of soccer" said it was time to get someone who is not just a coach but also a good manager. His words, “…After this Sunday Oliseh debacle, we have definitely turned the corner. We are now going to start shopping for a well-grounded and qualified foreign coach to tinker the team. Enough is enough.” But what has Pinnick had enough of - Nigerian coaches, a silent God or a smiling Satan?  

However, the foreign coach did not come quickly enough so the Nigerian Football Federation had to go back to their old wine, Samson Siasia. This was necessary because the nation had a crucial match with Egypt in order to qualify for the African Cup of Nations. We lost. And Nigeria is out of the running. Pinnick typically blamed the loss on 'destiny.'

Nigeria's national institutions are seldom built on nationalistic fervor or the pursuit of excellence. Past glories in sports, especially football, was because former players had skills, were less arrogant and played for the sheer joy of playing. The moment football in Nigeria became solely a means of survival, eyes were turned away from the ball and towards what was most desirable - money, fame and politics. This is probably the reason why junior teams, teeming with unspoiled talents that are desperate to have their day in the sun perform better than the national team (though internationally exposed) that is beset by ego fights, inconsistencies and duplicitous financial/political manipulations.  

In today's Nigeria, playing for the country or coaching the national team is very complicated, especially when indigenous coaches are involved. Foreign coaches make attractive alternatives not because of their credentials or abilities but because of their seeming operation above the fray of local politics and approach of coaching as a business - you give them what they demand, they give you what you deserve. Our local coaches never get what they demand in materials and remunerations and yet we expect them to perform miracles. 

There seems to be a tendency to undermine or disrespect people that look like us while uplifting foreigners even when they are no better. The failure of a local coach is assumed to be due to stubbornness or incompetence while foreign coaches tend to get many chances to prove themselves. But the reason for the failures of our national team goes deeper than lack of coaching prowess, foreign or local. 

Nigeria has been involved in the game of football for decades. We all love to win and in a somewhat vicariously cathartic way, football seems to enliven Nigerians. There is however no real plan to develop football as a national sport in the country. Football and sports administration in Nigeria, like most of our national life is a disgrace. Unless the socio-political structure and direction of Nigeria changes; every national assignment would bear the mark of a failed state. How do you develop any 'national' thing when there is hardly a 'nation' yet?

Football academies in Nigeria are either non-existent or in pitiable states. The national league, which used to be glorious in times past, has become a byword for lost glory. People are ready to stick knives into each other these days when arguing over European football clubs than remembering whether IICC or Rangers football clubs still exist. Dangote would rather invest in Arsenal football club or buy it outright instead of reviving Raccah Rovers. The Raccah Rovers club, during its heydays, played a friendly game with Fluminense Football Club of Brazil in Kaduna on 26, April 1978 and the great one himself, Pele, played for about 45 minutes of the game!

Sports can be a huge source of economic advancement with a tremendous potential for employing thousands of people. This would remain a dream until we start looking inwards and developing what we have as sport resources. Most clubs, and sometimes countries, in Europe have one or more black persons (many times Nigerians) playing for them but how many Europeans would love to come and play for Rangers? And yet, the indigenous talents in Europe are hardly better than what you find in the streets of Enugu or Ikot-Ekpene. 

Most Stadia in the country look like the ancient Roman Coliseum and towns lack anything that can be described as a sports center.  Added to this are terrible transport and other infrastructural challenges that preclude any meaningful pursuit of sports excellence.

After the latest failure of our national team, Mr Pinnick said that 'everything humanly possible' was done for the national team to succeed - this means God caused the loss. Some of the humanly possible things the boss of football in Nigeria did were flying the national team in a chartered plane and putting them in one of the best hotels in Egypt. This gesture was supposed to incentivize the boys to play well. This is because it has become customary for Nigerian football organizers to present sexed up groups instead of genuine teams for national competitions.

Mr Pinnick, let us leave God out of this for a moment. As Shakespeare said, in Julius Caesar, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings." God is neutral, and the ball is in your court sir!

What do you think is responsible for Nigerian football inconsistencies in recent years - Any idea?