The Abidjan war that was not

By Paul Bassey
One of the reasons why some of us came to Abidjan was to see how we could use our presence, connections and authority to diffuse what was expected to be a “major football war.”

The Nigerian press as vibrant as ever was in the middle of a build up that threatened even the travel plans of the Nigerian team.

First were series of quotes alleging that the Ivoriens were so bitter about their treatment in Kaduna that they were ready to pay the Nigerians back in their own coins.(?)

Then came the allegations (Press) that the Nigerians compromised the referees and that they were ready to do the same to guarantee victory.

[caption id="attachment_406372" align="alignright" width="412"] IVORY COAST, Abidjan : Ivory Coast's forward Koelly Kevin Zougoula (R) vies for the ball with Nigeria's goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim (C) and Solomon Kwambe (L) during the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifying football match between Ivory Coast and Nigeria on July 27, 2013 at the Robert-Champroux Stadium in Abidjan. Ivory Coast defeated Nigeria 2 - 0. AFP PHOTO[/caption]

The third news that gained prominence was that the match had been moved to a synthetic pitch to destabilize Nigerians, so coach Keshi had to immediately change his training venue to suit expectations.

I travelled to Abidjan with African journalist boss Mitchell Obi. On arriving Abidjan airport we were surprised to find out that the match did not “exist.” Not in the minds and discussions of the airport personnel, not in their treatment of Nigerians.

Before then, the Nigerian teams had touched down to the warm embrace of their host. Efficient bus for the team, a car for the leader of delegation as stipulated by the rules, opportunity to train on the pitch twice without hindrance, wonderful ambiance and camaraderie, that further necessitated caution given the way the press back home had prepared our minds before departure!

“We should not be deceived by this hospitality..oooooo. I smell a rat,” an NFF Board member said. At the pre-match meeting the same ambiance of friendship existed so much that even the declaration of “using every thing at our disposal to win” was greeted with laughter.

Then came match day, and off we went to Stade Robert Champroux. The reason why the Ivoriens played there is because Stade Houphoet Boighny is in a terrible state and undergoing repairs, not because of any “strategy and plan to catch Nigerians unawares” In fact, the CAF Champions league match this week end between Sewe Sports and Angola’s Recreativo de LiboLo will be played in the same venue.

My argument was even that, except for Calabar, Uyo and Owerri, all the venues in Nigeria are artificial. So ALL the domestic league players cannot afford not to be happy that they were given an opportunity to play on synthetic turf!

Then came the match proper and that is where the real war was. Most of us were not prepared for the storm that hit us. Others have blamed “inexperience” and I wonder. Whereas there has been an argument for  deploying another coach to the CHAN Eagles, the NFF in its wisdom has made coach Keshi to continue his domestic players building process and the boys have been beneficiaries of an elaborate camping process that has seen some of them graduating to the senior team...Obaobona, Azubike Egwuekwe, Sunday Mba, Solomon Kwambe…Chibuzor Okonkwo…..

How can you then explain the elementary mistake by Azubike that saw him heading aimlessly, the untimely run of a jittery Chigozie and the resultant sixth minute goal by Sewe Sports danger man Zougolla Kevin, an early one that the Ivoriens were praying for in their quest to hammer three past us and qualify.

Thereafter, it was the Ivoriens all the way. The Nigerians completely fell apart. Kevin with 17 goals was the highest goalscorer in the Ivorien league. (Last year he notched 16 to also top the chart). This is the man that the Ivoriens used to threaten Oboabona, Francis Benjamin, Solomon Kwambe and Femi Oladapo.

WE were in tatters, jittery and uncoordinated. We could not do anything right. In one of such moves, Rabiu Ali went in hard in the box, felled Woukoro Ahmed and referee El Jaafari Noureddine of Morocco enthusiastically pointed at the penalty spot.  Kevin stepped out and effortlessly converted.

Two goals in less than thirty minutes. We believed this was it. No hope in sight. The way we were playing there was no way the Ivoriens were not going to score four goals without any reply. Then the tide changed. Ten minutes to the end of the first half, the Eagles took over. Confidently, they sprayed the passes, took control of the midfield, had complete possession and for once looked like a side that could score a goal or two. The crowd was made to sweat.

Second half, what was Keshi going to tell them? What about the inevitable changes? There was not much difference, initially. Gomo Onduku, Femi Oladapo and an injured Kwambe had to make way. In came Gero, the U-20 international I saw him struggling upfront, jumping, pushing and kicking…..Mitchell Obi had a different view. Gero he said was the match winner, the stabilizer.

“Because Gero kept the defence line of the Ivoriens busy, they could not join the attack as they did in the first half, so it offered the Nigerians the needed breathing space to stabilize “ He said.

Take a bow Sunday Mba. My man of the match. Aside his goal scoring prowess in South Africa, this was the best match I have seen him play. So much confidence, exquisite touches, vision and space….then perhaps Rabiu Ali. Minus the penalty, he held his own.

If we could not score, then we should not allow them to score...tense forty five minutes. At a stage I jumped for joy believing the referees final whistle had sounded, only to be subjected to another minute of tension.

Finally, an historic qualification, the proverbial return to the drawing board as January approaches…..

 

See you next week.

Mobil plans holiday camping as Toblow explains Donetsk poor outing

By Paul Bassey
Not many people know him as Tobias Igwe.

For track and field followers, he is TOBLOW, the versatile coach who as far back as 1978 was running and coaching.

Ask him how he got the nickname “Toblow” and he will burst out laughing. “…..As far back as 1975, 800 metres was my specialty and I had a unique style of starting powerfully and ending same way, so my fans will encourage me to go all out and “blow” the event….”

[caption id="attachment_143256" align="alignnone" width="300"] Ameachi Morton[/caption]

The story of Toblow can be as pathetic as interesting. As you are reading this, the man who was instrumental to the discovery of the Ezinwa brothers, Mary Onyali , Tina Ihegwam and Clement Chukwu among others has been out of a job for over two years and his landlord is on his neck.

How can a man who still holds the Lagos State record in3000 metres steeplechase, who is presently contracted by the AFN to tutor some athletes be out of a job? How can such a talented coach beg his state Imo to be engaged? Anyway that is a topic for another day.

I remember Toblow today because he never ceases to accuse me of writing only about football to the detriment of other sports. Last week, Toblow quickly got in touch to appreciate my concern over the flop at the Ukraine IAAF junior Athletics championships.

He then went ahead to explain what “seemed like a failure”. According to him the Warri Championship was not a fluke, but that unfortunately, in those events where we are champions of Africa, we are not the best in the world. In other words, Nigeria can dust all African countries in the sprints and relays but when we get to the world stage we still have to queue behind the Jamaicans and the Americans, “ whereas the Ethiopians and Kenyans dominate both the African and world stage in the long distances.”

However that is not Toblow’s main problem. His grouse is with the system. Nigeria he says will continue to do badly if we do not get our priorities right. He laments the situation where AFN is starved of funds and the AFN President has to use his money to keep the Federation going. “…For how long will he continue to do this?” He asked.

Also Coach Toblow queries a system that has no youth development plans. “ Tell me, show me   a school in this country that has a certified or qualified games masters or mistresses. None.

“ If therefore a child goes through school up to secondary level without the benefit of basic upbringing, tell me how that child can do well in his or her chosen discipline.

“The result is that by the time that child is discovered at age 16 or 17, you need not less than seven months of coaching for him or her to be able to create any impact. Our Warri champions had less than two months training before going to Ukraine. There is no way they could have excelled” He emphasized.

“ We need long term planning, we need early training, we should not be coaching at old age. This country is full of potentials even in all sports but we need to sit down and ask ourselves what we want.

He said he saw the youngsters before they left for Donetsk, “…they are   potentials…..give them to me for seven or eight months and I will turn them to world beaters…..”

He advanced the argument to the Russian Championship and said the only athlete we have is Okagbare. All others he said will not do well.

Mobil Producing Nigeria is going the Toblow Way. Operator of the NNPC/MPN Joint Venture, the company has decided to veer out of its 13 uninterrupted years of sponsorship of track and field competition in Akwa Ibom State.

This year there is the pioneer decision to put the champions of the last two years in a Holiday Camp and give them the best of coaching and training under a select group of experienced coaches.

The company, synonymous with athletics sponsorship in the world and in the country believes “ It is not enough to just discover these talents. We should also give them the benefit of proper training in a conducive environment that will afford them the use of tartan tracks, starting blocks and so on.

Coach Toblow agrees. “ I thank them. This is what we need and it should be done consciously and consistently. There is no substitute to training and exposure. Put those kids in a camp for one month, return them again whenever the opportunity arises and you are in the verge of producing a gold mine of athletes advantage Nigeria”

The MPN Holiday Camping and Training programme comes up at the U. J Esuene Stadium Calabar early August and will have over 165 student athletes in attendance.

See you next week.

$300 dollars to beat Eagles, Oduduru, COSAFA, probes and other stories

By Paul Bassey
The headline carried by Complete Sports newspaper yesterday was very appealing. Cash rain for Malawi to beat Eagles.

The story said the Malawi Flames welfare package will be improved by “hundred percent “ before their all important 2014 World Cup qualifier against Nigeria in September.

The story quoted Suzgo Nyirenda the General Secretary of the Football Association of Malawi ( FAM ) as saying further that a proposal has been sent to the National Sports Council to up the winning bonus from K 30,000 to K100,000 while the daily camp allowance will be moved from $50 dollars a day to $75 dollars a day.

[caption id="attachment_399339" align="alignnone" width="412"] Tahiti's goalkeeper Xavier Samin dives for the ball as Nigeria's forward Anthony Ujah heads to the goal, during their FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 Group B football match, at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte on June 17, 2013. Photo: AFP.[/caption]

From investigation, Malawi Kwasha 330, equals one dollar, so by simple arithmetic, efforts are on to pay the Malawians $300 dollars (Yes three hundred dollars) as winning bonus for them to beat the Super Eagles! Don’t laugh. I wonder whether the Eagles are reading this.

Let us move from there to Zambia, host of the ongoing Council of South African Football Associations (COSAFA) Senior Challenge competition. As you are reading this, I am not sure Coach Keshi has left for Zambia, but that is where he should be.

COSAFA embraces Zambia, South Africa, Angola, Malawi, Namibia, Lesotho etc. In Zambia, Coach Keshi with or any of his assistants will not only have the opportunity of watching Malawi at close quarters but will also benefit a sneak preview of South Africa and Zambia, two countries we are likely to face in the decisive round of the World Cup if they make it out of their groups.

Before we get back to Football, let us punctuate the stories with that of a young man called Divine Ejowokoghene Oduduru. “ Africa’s fastest youth” I repeat that one of the best things to happen to our sports was the African Junior Athletics Championship hosted by AFN in Delta State and won by Nigeria, dusting all the Kenyans, Ethiopians and South Africans of the of world track and field. I gave the Federation Kudos for it and prayed others to emulate same.

After that championship,   I got to read a lot of rave reviews about the champions of that event. A particular coach could have taken a full page advert in a newspaper to gloat over his discovery of Oduduru, who he swore was Usain Bolt personified.

Off we went to the IAAF World Youth Championship in Donetsk and stories filtered out that did no credit to my great expectations of a medals haul. What of the “great” Oduduru ? That he failed to even qualify for the 100m final but was ready   to make amends in the 200m by blowing the opposition to smithereens.

Sunday afternoon, I had the privilege of watching Oduduru in the 200m final. What a disappointment, coming in 6th with a time of 21.37 seconds in the race won by Jamaica’s Michael Ohara in 20.63 seconds. In the words of my wife, “ Why is he so thick and stiff?” Was Warri a fluke? How come other Africa countries we dusted were winning medals with ease? (Including Nigerian born Ketira Orji of the US who leapt 6.39 in the Long Jump girls). In the Boys medley relay final we blundered to 7th position.

Felt so bad on Sunday listening to the Kenyan and Ethiopian anthems again and again, watching their athletes mounting the victory rostrum so often (In the 3000m steeplechase girls, it was all African affair) Kenya placed second on the overall medals tables with eleven medals including four gold. Ethiopia had eight medals, South Africa two, while Egypt and Morocco also appeared on the medals table. No Nigeria.

Pray, do we need a probe to find out what happened in Warri and   Donetsk?

Talking about probes, after reading Adokiye, Odegbami, Christian Okpara, Pius Ayinor……..I have nothing to add concerning the scandalous 145-0 scoreline that has made us the laughing stock of world football. I have also called on the NFF to probe the strange ouster of Rangers from the CAF Confederation Cup.

Tomorrow, a panel will sit to probe allegations of sell out in the National League, while a panel set up by the NSC to look at the Bonus issue and the Super Eagles embarrassing posture in Namibia is to conclude its sitting by next week.

The NFF reacted swiftly by stepping into the scandalous Nationwide row, but Christian Okpara of the Guardian says “ …..But followers of Nigerian football believe the NFF action could be the prelude to sweeping the matter under the carpet. Their argument is hinged on the Federation’s treatment of previous cases of match fixing including the Lobi Stars versus Sunshine Stars case of last season “ Weighty, very weighty. The NFF must therefore act with dispatch. The current case is without mincing words a national disgrace and we must get to the bottom of it and fast too. NFF is the sole football controlling body in the land. They are to conduct the preliminary investigation and decide to transfer same to either the police or the EFCC as the case may be.   Any thing to the contrary will be viewed differently. Ask FIFA.

See you next week

Probing the Rangers saga

By Paul Bassey
It was Tony Bekeredemo of Brila FM who called to inform me about the suspension of Rangers by CAF and I felt very bad. I wondered why Shooting Stars should protest to CAF, knowing the circumstances of such a protest.

It was when Emeka Nwani, former image maker of the Nigeria Premier League and a staunch Rangers supporter also called that I understood better the situation on ground. Emeka absolved Shooting from any blame, he educated me better on the history of the fracas and also mentioned the role of the NFF and the LMC.

Those “roles” I do not understand, that is why I am calling on the NFF to institute a probe as a matter of urgency. There is no running away from the fact that this year has been terrible to us CAF wise, as all our teams fell by the way side, only for Rangers to go to Tunisia and do the impossible, and now this.

[caption id="attachment_380578" align="alignnone" width="412"] File photo: Rangers players during a match[/caption]

We must get to the bottom of this, to serve as a deterrent to others. Perhaps the NFF has not been sufficiently interested in the affairs of clubs who qualify to represent us in Africa, that is why we get to hear bizarre stories that does not do our country’s football any good.

Of Heartland that could not organize herself early enough to honour a return leg in Gabon, of Lobi Stars that got spanked 7-1 in Mozambique and Pillars that lost a three goal advantage in Congo! Nigeria’s league is made of superior stuff different from what has been portrayed for this year.

With due respect to the Rangers appeal, we should get to the root of this matter and bring all the culprits to book, because as opined by Emeka, none of them will resign honourably, not even to allow a credible probe. This is an Agbim and Mbah case carried too far.

We can build on the Confederation Cup

For the past three weeks there has been shades of opinion on the Eagles and the Confederation Cup. Last week, I even went a step further to say that we should beware lest our string of defeats affect our FIFA Coca-cola standing as we move towards the September qualifiers. Last week I was proved right.

Happily, the CHAN match and the Mandela Invitational will help us stabilize, although we should expect the worst from Abidjan in a few days.

This week I have opened my column to Chinedum Emeana   a Port Harcourt based Corporate Communications practitioner whose views I consider very credible and worthy of sharing with you. He says we can build on the Confederation Cup experience. I agree. Excerpts.Enjoy.

Re: The fear of September…

At the Confed Cup, I don’t think “We Tried”. But we can build on that to become a better football team insomuch as we will learn the lessons. Before the confeds I had shared my prediction with my Facebook friends and then I said confidently that Nigeria will beat Tahiti and Spain and draw with Uruguay. I strongly believed that despite Spain’s recent pedigree the Super Eagles can beat them with the “Nigerianness” of our game and playing personnel despite their experience deficit. With Uruguay, because they are a South American team and we seem to always come up short against teams from that region, maybe because they are more streetwise than us? I felt the worst we would take from that game was to share the spoils.

Unfortunately and annoyingly we lost both games.   But I was impressed with Keshi’s “game management”, his tactical approach and response to real-time match situations. More importantly, however, I came away with the impression that Nigeria can make a big bang impression at the World Cup if we could learn the lessons inherent. For instance, after the Spain game I said, on Facebook, that Brazil will beat Spain because like us they will create chances, but unlike us, they will take those chances. The Super Eagles went behind the Spanish defence in ways that no team had done in recent times but we lacked a certain “something”, same for the Uruguayan game.

To me it goes beyond the obvious players not scoring goals even when chances are presented on a plate – we lack champions’ mentality, and this affects the way we approach games, the way we prosecute dead ball advantages and the way we “seem” to give up when the “lines have not yet fallen in pleasant places” for us.

We should also jettison our laid back attitude…we need to have this in-your-face, I must-win-no-matter-what approach, while not disrespecting our opponents.

Your suggestion that Ideye’s goal drought should see him dropped from the team is not one I agree with, with due respect. He hasn’t scored but his general industry has helped the cause of the team. Remember at the Nations Cup, his partnership with Emenike produced goals, even when both of them did not score. He unsettles defences, and helps the midfield with his seemingly untiring work rate. Left to the Brazilian public, Fred would have been kicked out of their team for long before his starring role at the Confeds. Moreover, how many goals did Hulk score at the Confed Cup?

Going forward, I think the shrill calls to bring back some players into the team, impugning Keshi’s coaching credentials by “NFF top shots who wants to remain anonymous” in the press should seize. That must remain Keshi’s decision whether we like it or not. But there should be a partnership with the NFF Technical Committee behind the scenes, not this vetting or no vetting of Eagles list in the press all the time. It is not healthy. It will be difficult for any professional coach to accept that.

Moreover, some players are out of the Eagles for now, not because of lack of aptitude but unacceptable attitude. Without disciple and gang-mentality with everyone pulling in the same direction no team, no matter how individually talented can win anything. Our World Cup team of 1994 was a team of talented players that fell short because of this. After seeing all the first round matches of that championship, I felt Nigeria should play in the final. Where did we get to? We were dumped in the second round. And people were saying “We tried”.

And I wonder why Keshi is getting a lot of flak for opening up the space to home based players…this has created more options for the Super Eagles, fierce competition for shirts and given value to the national shirt. The NFF should leverage on that to promote and raise the standard of the local professional league. We should leverage on the growing profile of the Super Eagles to enhance the brand and make money for the NFF. Stories of conflict within the Super Eagles camp, NFF disagreements with Keshi will help his cause. We need strategic communication to drive value and enhance marketability of the Super Eagles brand.

I don’t harbor any fears….we will qualify for the Mundial if we pull in the same direction, and we must unite to be more than mere participants there.

I strongly believe that the Super Eagles are on an ascendancy, but this must be carefully and skillfully managed so that we get to where we belong; one of the top 10 footballing nations on the planet.”

 

I Say Amen. See you next week.

The fear of September...

By Paul Bassey
No apologies for repeatedly saying that for me winning the Confederations Cup was not as important as qualifying for the World Cup. The FIFA Confederations Cup was therefore an opportunity for us to test run our World Cup team.

There is no doubt that that is exactly what the “Festival of Champions” turned out to be, affording us a post mortem of our squad.

Nigerians for the first time are unanimous that the team is far from being complete. We all agree that our attack is near zero, that the defence needs some firming up and the middle could do with some serious and attack minded individual different from the “ don’t touch me, am a Chelsea big boy delay “ style of Mikel Obi. We agree that this team lacks a General, a Yobo figure.

[caption id="attachment_399805" align="alignnone" width="412"] Mikel celebrates his goal with teammates[/caption]

In the process of expressing these and other shades of opinions, many have taken up arms, especially those who believe “ We tried” and interpret such observations as critical of Coach Stephen Keshi.

A reader even sent me a text with annoyance “…..Were you expecting us to beat Spain?” if that reader knew that countries like Cameroun and USA have played to the final of the Confederations Cup, if that reader is aware that the US beat an unbeatable Spanish side in 2009 and that South Africa played in the semi final of this same competition in 2009, then he will better understand why some Nigerians genuinely nursed the possibility of a victory over Spain.

Ok, let us assume we were not expected to beat Spain. What about the poor showing against Tahiti? Why did we not pull at least a draw against Uruguay? Even against Spain, the Eagles played well enough to be able to get a result, but for lack of adequate firepower up front. We tried, I agree, but in fifty years when our grandchildren will come across the result, that Spain beat us 3-0, who will be around to explain that but for those three goals, the match would have ended in a draw?……I believe that is what we are all saying. Some of us maybe saying it with annoyance, others perhaps too harshly but I repeat again that we are all saying that if we must make any impact at the World Cup next year then Coach Keshi has to take another look at his team, his players and that perhaps he needs more eyes to be able to see better.

The Nations Cup is far far behind us. Reality looms. If you have an attacker who goes into six consecutive matches – Mexico, Kenya, Namibia, TAHIT (Capitals mine) Uruguay and Spain and fails to score a goal or two, then that player should be dropped for good. The last time Obafemi came, he played only one match and was dropped. We know Anichebe, Kalu, Ameobi. We know they have quality. Keshi knows better.

What is flowing through the land presently, is to say the least, the fear of September. In September, we are expected to beat Malawi. Expected because so far, our run has been far from satisfactory. Considering that the opposition is just Kenya, Malawi and Namibia, yet we have only won two matches of the five played, leaving qualification to the last match.

Let us believe that Malawi is not the problem. But the draw of the third and final round of the African qualifiers will be held in Cairo on September 16. On that day the five best placed African  teams in the FIFA Coca Cola ranking as of September 12 will be seeded.

If that draw is held today and going by the latest FIFA ranking, it means Cote Divoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Algeria and Tunisia will be seeded while the other bowl will contain either Libya or Cameroun, Egypt, South Africa or Ethiopia, Uganda or Senegal and Congo or Burkina Faso. This, is a preferred situation.

But going by the result of our last four matches against Namibia, Tahiti, Uruguay and Spain, what guarantee do we have that the FIFA ranking of September 12 will be kind to us and still keep us in the top five in Africa, given the superlative showings of Egypt, Zambia, Burkina Faso etc who are presently below us and did not have Federations Cup matches to dent their records?

If this happens, then we see ourselves confronting either Cote Divoire, Ghana, Algeria and Tunisia, countries who by their current world cup outings are on fire.

This is the fear we are all expressing. That a two leg battle against Egypt, Cameroun, Senegal, Zambia …will not be a piece of cake, hence the need to be adequately prepared.

I thank Coach Keshi. He is not deaf. He says Yobo remains his captain, that Obafemi, Anichebe and co are in his plans and that if Osaze stops his naughtiness (?) he will be considered. The sooner, the better. Time is definitely not on our side.

 

See you next week.