By Adebayo Abubakar
The Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports, Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike has called on the leadership of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to come clean, and explain to the people of Nigeria, what is happening to the appointment of coaches for the Super Eagles, and other national teams.
Ejidike made the call during an interaction with a group of journalists in Ilorin the Kwara State capital over the weekend, as a reaction to the news that the newly announced Super Eagles coach, German, Bruno Labbadia has taken a walk.
The German took a walk, when football fans were already looking forward to him settling down and concentrating on the next two important matches against the Benin Republic, and Rwanda.
The Pillar of Sports queried the rationale behind announcing Labbadia’s appointment, when they knew he had not actually put pen to paper. Who was trying to impress who?, he queries.
The Anambra-born Sports philanthropist described it as a national embarrassment, saying that Nigeria, and her senior men’s national football team – the Super Eagles, is too big a global brand to be subjected to that kind of public ridicule.
The former President of the Karate Federation of Nigeria (KFN) said that the last time Nigerians heard from the Ibrahim Gusau-led NFF officially, was when coach Finidi George was appointed, sometimes in April this year.
But as of today, there has been no official statement from the football-governing body regarding the contractual status of coach Finidi. This is despite having a corporate communication department.
Nigerians only read on the pages of newspapers that the former Ajax Amsterdam winger had turned in his resignation. But whether the resignation was accepted by the NFF or not, remains a matter of speculation, up to this moment.
The next thing we’d hear was that the NFF Secretary-General, Mohammed Sanusi, announcing at a very small hour of Tuesday last week that, the NFF had appointed the German tactician, as the new Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles, with “the appointment taking an immediate effect”.
Even when the man was yet to sign any contract paper, a provisional list of 40 players was released, pruned down to 23 on his behalf. Who does that? Nobody, Ejidike retort. The NFF Technical Director, Austin Eguavoen has been asked by the federation to take a temporary charge for the next two matches against the Benin Republic, and Rwanda, at least.
The Patron of the Nigerian Football Supporters Club (NFSC), admonished the people at the “Glass House” to consult widely, and run an open door policy that will allow different, and critical stakeholders contribute their modest quotas towards the upliftment of the beautiful game in Nigeria, going forward. He added that it is the way to go, rather than subjecting the country and her football to this kind of ridicule.
The Nnewi-born business mogul did not limit his observation to football alone. He recalled with regret, the shambolic performance of Team Nigeria, at the just concluded Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where the country’s contingent went, and returned empty-handed, without a single medal.
Meanwhile, the federal government approved and released a whooping sum of ₦12bn for both the Olympics and Paralympic games contingent, (₦9bn for the former, and ₦3bn, for the latter) with nothing to show for it, at the end of the day.
To that effect, Ejidike had, in previous press releases, shortly after the games, called on the relevant authorities in the country, to launch a forensic audit on why the country performed so poorly in Paris, earlier this summer.
He equally called for a total overhaul in the leadership structure of the various sports governing-bodies (including the NFF), in case none of them is honest enough, in the face of poor performances, to resign honourably and allow for a breath of fresh air.
He sees no reason why the NFF should be toying with the emotions of over 200 million soccer-crazy Nigerians, by bringing mediocre coaches from Europe who are barely known, even, in their home countries, when we have coaches in Nigeria who are as qualified as their European preferences, if not more qualified.
The Pillar of Sports believes that, Nigeria cannot continue like this. “whoever needs help among the sports administrators should seek, if he is bereft of ideas to move the sport forward, or resign outright.
According to Ejidike, in less than a week from now, the Super Eagles of Nigeria will play two crucial matches in the AFCON 2025 qualifying series, yet there is no substantive coach in charge; nothing can be more reckless and shameful than that, for a country of Nigeria’s pedigree in Sports generally, and football in particular, he quips.
He therefore calls on the Gusau-led NFF, to explain to the great football-loving Nigerians how they intend to get our football back on the right track.
