At a tournament that promised so much so early in the year, the Super Eagles were finally but unexpectedly sent packing by the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, their wings clipped by a familiar North African foe whose shaky tournament form and ranks depleted by COVID-19 were supposed to provide easy pickings for Nigerian team which was the only team to boast a hundred percent record in the group stage.
The Carthage Eagles were already a goal to the good before Alex Iwobi put in an apocalyptic shift from the bench to have himself sent off within minutes of coming on. His expulsion left Nigeria with a mountain to climb. There is no doubt that Nigeria will rue a missed opportunity that grew even bigger when defending champions Algeria and Ghana crashed out of the tournament at the group stages.
Many Nigerians may only see the disaster the debacle that played out in Garoua but there is no doubt that with the benefit of hindsight it was months in the making. When Gernot Rohr the German manager who had led the Super Eagles to a respectable 3rd place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt two years ago, during which they claimed the scalps of their conquerors in Garoua, was sacked just months before the tournament and Mr. Eguavoen given the reins, the writing appeared on the wall.
In 2006, Mr. Eguavoen himself had led a team which included the immortal duo of Jay-Jay Okocha and Kanu Nwankwo, and the prodigiously gifted Mikel Obi, to a 3rd place finish at the Africa Cup of Nations. But in sacking Gernot Rohr and calling on Mr. Eguavoen in Nigeria`s hour of need, the NFF chose a relic of the old days betraying in the process the sheer depth of its confused thinking.
Many sports loving Nigerians who genuinely love their national teams in spite of the pull of European football have no doubt that the invidious corruption which corrodes many a Nigerian institution has found its way into the administration of sports in Nigeria, gaining a foothold and firmly gaining root. There have been sordid allegations to confirm that many of those who have been in charge of the administration of sports over the years have taken the opportunity given them to serve the country to feather their own nests.
The defeat to Tunisia was especially gut-wrenching as while the Super Eagles had posted a perfect record in the group stage, the Tunisians lurched from farce to defeat in their first group game against Mali when the Zambian referee inexplicably blew the final whistle twice before the end of ninety minutes, before suffering a last-gasp defeat to West African minnows Gambia in the last group game. Their camp was also ravaged by Covid-19 yet they recovered from all the setbacks to deal the Super Eagles a jarring blow.
Indeed it, leaves a nasty taste in the mouth that once again Nigeria has fallen short in the continental competition under totally inauspicious circumstances. The German coach who had steadily if unremarkably steadied the ship when he was at the helm of affairs was sacked and replaced by two coaches sourced from obscurity. While one was charged with overseeing Nigeria`s AFCON charge, the other was put in an observer role to monitor proceedings before taking full charge at the end of AFCON. Now, he can begin his reign.
Ghana looms threateningly on the horizon in World Cup Qualifiers which Nigeria absolutely has to win. The Black Stars left Cameroon with their light severely dimmed after dusting up a solitary draw and two defeats, including against debutants Comoros. But there can be no doubt, that when they find themselves against Nigeria their eternal foe, they will be revitalized by the sheer atmosphere that an ancient West African rivalry conjures.
Experts have long called for a cleaning of the Augean stables that sports administration in Nigeria has become. It was not long ago that the country`s dirty laundry was aired in faraway Japan by disgruntled athletes during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. There is no gainsaying that a country that aspires to reach the pinnacle of sports in the world must aspire to keep shameful episodes away from its camp.
Excelling in sports cannot happen when mediocres are allowed to turn sports administration in the country to a circus of mediocrity, nepotism and cronyism. While Nigerians make crude jokes of the call placed by the presidency to the Super Eagles shortly before the cataclysmic defeat to Tunisia, the mood of the country must move from anger to action in elevating sports in the country.
Kene Obiezu,
Abuja.
