On Super Eagles’ World Cup Exit

By Tayo Ogunbiyi

The Super Eagles of Nigeria crashed out of the on -going FIFA World Cup in Brazil, having withstood France for a greater part of their second round game at  the 69,349 capacity  Estadio Nacional, in Brasilia. The Eagles capitulated in the final twelve minutes of the game letting in two goals in almost quick succession. With this, Nigeria failed in her quest to surpass the second round berth it achieved in USA ‘94 and France ‘98 respectively. Only three African countries, Cameroun in Italia 90, Senegal in Korea/Japan 2002 and Ghana in South Africa 2010 have gotten to the quarter final stage of the World Cup since the event began in 1930. Expectations were high in Nigeria country before the Brazil 2014 World Cup began that, this time around, the Super Eagles would at least beat its own record.

In as much as there is no crime in wishing one’s country the best in major sporting events, the reality, however, is that a country cannot rise above the quality of players it has in such a competition as keenly contested as the World Cup. What we presented at the on- going World Cup in Brazil, compared to what we had on offer at both the USA ‘94 and France ‘98 events were average footballers. Though it could be argued that, in some instances, unknown and budding footballers usually force themselves into world reckoning on such a big stage as the World Cup. The truth, however, is that no country parading average players has ever won the World Cup. Those who follow the soccer trend in the country in recent time,  know for certain that Nigerian players no longer feature for top and revered European  football clubs like it used to be in time past. Our topmost players, Mikel Obi and Victor Moses, who ply their  soccer trade with Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC of England respectively, were only good enough for the bench, in their respective  teams, for a considerable part of last season.  Viewing things from this perspective, the only thing that could have made the Eagles to soar higher at the World Cup would have been mother luck. Unfortunately, mother luck was a scarce commodity for the Super Eagles in Brazil. One must, however, commend our players for giving out their best for the country throughout the competition. With the early exit of great footballing countries such as Spain, England and Italy, with their rich football culture and abundant talents, one could not but appreciate the efforts of our boys. Except for the first match against Iran, when they performed below expectations, the Eagles put up gallant displays in subsequent matches against Bosnia, Argentina and France. The Super Eagles have nothing to be ashamed of losing to Argentina and France in the fashion they did. It is only a few countries in the world that could actually withstand the soccer wizardry of Lionel Messi and his co-travellers without being effectively battered.

Lots of commentators and analysts, as usual, have come down heavily on the Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, in a bid to make him a scapegoat of our exit from the World Cup. Some have accused him of taking the wrong set of players to the world tourney while others have slammed him for allegedly being biased in his team selection. While not holding brief for Keshi, it is important to state that no other coach in the history of our country, except for Clemens Westerhof, has achieved as much as Keshi did for our football. Against all odds, he won the Nations Cup in South Africa in 2013, a feat he eventually capped up with qualifying the country for the Brazil World Cup in style without having to rely on the outcome of other countries’ results. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Lars Lagerback, the Swedish-born foreign coach who led us to the World Cup, despite the multi-million dollar contract he signed with our Football Federation  could not get us beyond the first round, a feat achieved by Keshi in Brazil 2014.

Rather than trading blames and finding faults, it would be more helpful for us to make effective use of vital lessons learnt at the tourney in order to do better at subsequent editions. For instance, it would be more appropriate, for future purpose, if relevant authorities could ensure that team spirit is not distracted with the issues of money  and other such engrossing stuffs. News of bickering over money matter, a recurring issue, only goes to show us as a people that lack adequate and effective planning. It is a shame that a country of Nigeria’s stature would send players to a stage as big as the World Cup without sorting out such vital details that concern players’ remuneration. It is, therefore, vital that our soccer authorities put  in place a system that could sufficiently deal with issues of match bonuses, allowances and allied matters before we embark on any major competition. In this case, our football managers must step up their game by doing the needful. A  major issue that would continue to generate rift between our football administrators  and players has always been that of lack of trust. The players don’t trust the soccer administrators because they believe the later are not interested in their welfare. The way forward is for soccer administrators to embrace transparency and integrity in order to earn the confidence  of the players.

On the issue of Stephen Keshi, though the situation concerning the real state of his contract remains cloudy, it would be in the best interest of the country to retain the coach. Changing coaches after every major tournament would only set us backward in every perspective. The experience that the coach and his crew members have amassed since coming on board could only make them better managers. Since the days of Westerhof, no other Super Eagles coach has given hope to players in the domestic league as Keshi did. No matter the differences that exist between Keshi and his employer, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, they should both jettison personal pride and put the interest of the country above all other considerations.

It is, therefore, important that the two parties promptly sit down to map out the way forward for our national  team. Considering the fact that the next Nations Cup is just around the corner, consolidating on the exploits of Keshi and his boys in South Africa and Brazil is, perhaps, the most ideal path to follow.

•Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.