BY REV FR GERALD NWAFOR
I may be the only Nigerian who decided not to watch the AFCON (African Cup of Nations) going on. The simple reason is not about winning but in protest to the salaries owed to the coach and the unknown reason why captain Ekong William would resign on the eve of the tournament. I am one of the fervent fans of the Super Eagles. From the time when the name was Green Eagles to the metamorphosis into Super Eagles, I have watched all the matches and banked on their success as a patriotic Nigerian.
I do not want to say that the good old days were better than today. I have many players of the Green Eagles era who were close friends to my father and my brother, who died poorbecause the Nigerian government did not take care of them, and some of the promises made to them when they won the highly coveted Africa Cup of Nations were not fulfilled. I was banking on the team to win Congo and qualify for the World Cup in the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico, but what did I get in return? Heartache.
Players were complaining that they did not receive their match bonuses, and the coach was not paid his salary. How do you expect them to play with their heart? I am sure the salary and bonuses have not been paid, and we are marching into the Nations Cup to perform wonders. I do not want to deceive myself. Recently, I listened to a podcast by Mikel Obi, one of our legends, who narrated an experience he had as a captain, and I wondered when this decay in our national team would end. According to Mikel, it was AFCON 2018. However, one of the NFA officials has come out to say it was 2014, and I say to myself, what difference does it make that the event was true, but the timing was being debated?) Anyway, I believe Mikel’s timing since he mentioned the chief of staff at that time. The players were demanding their bonuses before the Russian World Cup in 2018, and the president of the NFA, Amaju Pinnick, kept saying be patient, until Mikel made the bold step and called the president’s chief of staff, Abba Kyari, and the money landed in 24 hours. The cabal led by Amaju Pinnick wanted to divert it,and Mikel stood his ground and said it was for the players. That was how we were able to survive the disgrace that could have happened in Russia. Today, the same Amaju Pinnick is still hanging around NFA after losing his seat in the FIFA body. When shall we arrest people like Amaju Pinnick and ask them to give an account of how they ran our NFA? I think the whole of Nigerian public officials have a problem with accounting. I do not want to divert now because of Froke and Dangote.
Focusing on the issue at hand, that being the Nations Cup inMorocco. If you choose to watch, do not blame anyone if Tanzania defeats Nigeria because during the World Cup qualifiers, countries that we could have given 5-0 were defeating us, and in some cases, we will be happy with a draw. The EFFC,arresting every Tom, Dick, and Harry except the real culprits,should arrest some of the people managing our football this time. By the time of this piece, Nigeria will be lining up to play their first match, which, for the longest time, I have taken for granted that we will win our first matches in the Nations Cup,even when we face the host nation.
I was privileged to meet one of the captains of our Super Eagles and have a photo opportunity with him since he lives in the same city where I grew up and attended the university. He told me that he loved wearing green, white, and green to represent over 250 million Nigerians, but when it comes to remuneration, his spirit sank to the lowest ebb. All the players would be coming to your room, telling you that they would not come out for practice if the money was not paid. Sometimes you just feel like a brokerand not a player because you will be running from your room to the coach’s room, to the NFF President’s room, and to the hall where all the players are waiting for you. It was all about money, never about the strategy on how to win games. He concluded the discussion by saying that he was so happy the day he announced his retirement. I wondered when this would end.
We have produced the best team in the world, and it was evident in 1994 and 1996, but the problem of money was also there. I remember that the 1994 team that won the Nations Cup wascompensated in 2023. How can we continue like this? Until there is a clear sign that we are ready to manage our football team sincerely and professionally, I will not invest my emotions in the Super Eagles for now.
Finally, the people who decide to watch, I will wish you well and support you so that all will not be gloomy. Clap for the teams that play good football and do not carry anger into the new year, since the tournament would last till the second week of January 2026. Do not spend so much money on your generator since the tax bill that was laden with lies and deceitwould try to tax all your income. The people who could have prayed for the team to do well will be battling the new tax law,which was different from what the national assembly hadproposed. Now the government is lying, the National Assembly is lying, and the inland revenue officials and the gazette copy arelying too. So, who made the mistake in the tax law presented to the Nigerian people, which was barbaric and savage in nature?Everyone is saying it is a typo, and my simple question is, does a typo change the whole sentence and add a new one totally differently? How can we be struggling on all the fronts? Soccer is all about fun and happiness. You cannot be talking about happiness when your house is on fire. I will be here waiting for the outcome of the matches. One last thing, stay out of trouble and have a blessed new year.
