Africa Cup Of Nations Update: Eagles’ Absence, A Disgrace

Ademola Adesina, a former Nigerian international that featured in four editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, told FRANCIS ACHI in Abuja that it hurts watching the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea without the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

Where have you been all these years and what led you back to football management in Nigeria

I was out of the country for many years. I was in London to be precise. But I was in touch with what was going on in Nigeria. Once football is in your blood, whether you have retired or not, you will still continue to monitor football in your country and all over the world. I was in London when my people requested that I should come back home to contribute my quota to the development of football in my state. That was how I came back to become the technical adviser of Prime FC of Oshogbo.

Nigeria did not qualify for the ongoing Nations Cup. Is the Confederation Of African Football, CAF, not missing Nigeria at the tournament?

Definitely CAF is missing Nigeria at the tournament. I am also missing the Super Eagles and it is painful watching the tourney without Nigeria.

However, the standard of the tournament has improved. There are no more minnows as they are closing the gap against the big teams in Africa. Look at the game between Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso; it took the experience of the Ivorien players to beat Burkina Faso. This tells you that African football is growing.

However, the Super Eagles have made their mark at the tournament. We have players that have made the African football exciting in the past like Segun Odegbami, Rashidi Yekini, Stephen Keshi, Bright Omokaro, Mudal Lawal, Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amuneke andTijani Babangida. I am very certain that lovers of African football all over the world missed Nigeria.

It is a big lesson for Nigeria and I pray that this will not repeat itself in the future. The solution is to invite the right players and feature them based on their current form. There should be no football politics. There seems to be lot of crisis in our football. What is the way forward?

I am terribly sad with what is going on in the Nigerian football. Every football stakeholder wants to run football, only a few wants to submit to the present leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation NFF, which is currently having a crisis of change of name.

In those days, there was nothing like NFA group or NFF group, it was one football body in Nigeria.

I also believe our major problem is poor officiating by our referees. If the referees can stand by the truth when they are under pressure from club officials to do the right thing, then our football will continue to grow.

The way our referees officiate does not encourage local players to give in their best and when players are frustrated, the game cannot grow in the country.

Samson Siasia was given the mandate to coach the Super Eagles but failed to qualify Nigeria for the Nations Cup before he was sacked. What will be your advise to Stephen Keshi, the man that succeeded him?.

It is very painful that Siasia could not continue as Super Eagles, but I am consoled with the fact that Keshi was named to coach the team. We are all one. Keshi and I met at Casablanca last month and we talked a lot. We are still close. We call each other on phone to discuss Nigerian football. And I do give him my advice. You know he was playing five as the central defender while I was playing four as the defensive midfielder.

Keshi has the potential, knowledge and experience to succeed, but no man is an island that is why he should listen to advice.

Keshi has given local players a lifeline by having a home-based Super Eagles. Do you think he is on the right path?

Yes of course. He is doing the right thing with the local professionals. If the home-based players are giving the opportunity and support, they will perform very well because they want to make name for themselves.

When I was very young watching the likes of Muda Lawal, Segun Odegbami, Adokie Amasiemaka, I told myself that I would one day want to be like them and when the opportunity came, I did not look back.

Another thing is discipline. You see most of the players that were indiscipline during our time are still struggling to succeed. Discipline is what you cannot do without as a professional to succeed.