Nigerian football in crisis : Where did it go all so wrong ?

Posted on 04. Jul, 2010 by Pappy Dee in Issues, Sports Gist, The critic

Yes my fellow Nigerians and supporters of the Super Eagles have you recovered from that abysmal outing in South Africa by the Super Eagles ? It might also have also been hard to swallow the fact that our neighbours the Black Stars churned out performances we could not even fathom from the Super Eagles .If you have not come to terms with this yet , I am sorry but unfortunately you have to put this disappointment aside for now. There are more pressing issues at hand that threaten the long term future of not just the Super Eagles but Nigerian football at all levels.

Just Last week on the 30th of June 2010 ,the presidency released a statement via a special adviser Ima Niboro which stated as follows ” President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that Nigeria withdraws from international competition for two years to enable the country to put its house in order.” Furthermore it was announced that the current board of the NFF was with immediate effect dissolved and a new interim football board comprising largely of members of the Presidential task force such as Jay Jay Okocha ,Bawa Kaoje and Samson Siasia .This declaration has been met with mixed views from the Nigerian Public and stakeholders in the sport .There is the view on the one hand that this politics of self -isolation is precisely what is required at the moment to stop the flagrant mal-administration of the game by the current board of Nigerian football administration under the leadership of Alhaji Sani Lulu. This following a detailed report by the Presidential Task Force headed by Rotimi Amaechi (Governor of Rivers State) here are his words ‘‘We had all sorts of maladministration. We found out that the problem with Nigerian football is structural. The nation has been punished enough. People have had heart attacks because of Nigerian football.”

This regime under Lulu is alleged to have squandered sums of up to 900 Million Naira approved for the World Cup and who can forget the 236,000 dollars allocated for a world cup qualifier that mysteriously vanished from the glasshouse ? Or the poor preparations in organising friendlies towards the world cup? It is clear that the the current leadership of NFF have continued to fail Nigerians simply because there are square pegs in round holes .Football in Nigeria is run by people that simply do not have a clue about football administration and youth development policy .Instead of clear and transparent policies , the federation is characterised by nepotism and sentimentalism as the order of the day .On the face of it seems the declaration of the president may be what the country needs at the moment !

We do so however at the risk of a suspension of Nigeria from FIFA (meaning that the Super falcons , the flying eagles and domestic clubs will also be unable to participate in their respective competitions ).FIFA on their part has now come out to say that it will not recognize the interim national football board set up by the president as it constitutes government interference and gave Nigeria 2 days to reverse its decision or face suspension.So where do we go from here ? Nigerian football is at its lowest point in a very long time .Not only do Nigerian fans have to put up with a team that is below par but now the only avenue for improvement is likely to be blocked by virtue of a looming ban .

On the face of it , it seems Goodluck’s suspension is related purely to football reasons and for re-organisation of the nff for good but I asure my Fellow Nigerians this is far from the case . It is merely the manifestation of a struggle for power between the PTF and the now defunct NFF Board .This action would seem to be the final card played by the Presidential Task Force, set up by the late Umaru Musa Yaradua to help mastermind Nigeria’s qualification for the World Cup.

With the country’s participation in South Africa on the verge of collapse, the late President put together a team headed by Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, and including the then Sports Minister Bawa KaOje as his deputy , to help the NFF ensure that the Super Eagles made it to the World Cup.

But the friction between both camps was evident from the get go. And the fact that at least two members of that body had designs on positions in the NFF already held by officials not willing to relinquish power did little to ease the situation.If you doubt my contentions ask yourself why are Jay-Jay Okocha and Bawa Kaoje(both having express their interest in positions at the NFF) now on the interim board set up by the President ?

While the qualification campaign lasted, both camps fought a silent, but bruising battle to stay ahead in the build up to the elections. The little matter of actually participating at the event itself, was almost an afterthought.

NFF President Sani Lulu and his executive committee were wary of the political and financial might of the PTF, and moved not so silently, not only to strengthen their vice grip on power, but also to ensure that the August elections were in the bag before a single ballot had been cast.The plan was simple. They manipulated the Statutes of the NFF by extending the life of state FA chairmen (who held the majority of the votes at the Elective Assembly), until after the NFF elections.What this meant in effect was that those gentlemen would not have to worry about their positions until after they had voted the not so new board in. It also meant that the current executive knew exactly who to ‘keep happy’ in the run up to the elections.And they did a good job of it.

First, the ‘grants’ due to the state FAs were paid for the first time in over four years!!!! Then 30 of 37 chairmen and secretaries were taken on an all expenses paid trip to the World Cup in South Africa.Thus accounting for the record number of over 200 delegates from Nigeria at the World Cup. Harmless looking actions on the face of it, but one which effectively left the favoured beholden to the NFF. The direct consequence was that even if the eligibilty criteria had not been so considerably skewed in favour of the incumbents, no one but those in the inner circle would have a chance of winning.

Led by the new Sports Minister Isa Bio, members of the PTF appealed to FIFA, accusing the NFF leadership of corruption and asking for the elections to be suspended.They met a brick wall in President Sepp Blatter who informed the delegation that corruption issues should be tackled by the national agencies involved, and the elections could not be stopped as long as the Statutes were followed.

And so the PTF played their final card, a direct appeal to President Goodluck Jonathan, presenting a World cup report that detailed ‘maladministration’. It is that appeal which has now led to the withdrawal of Nigeria from international competitions with the hope of forcing Fifa’s hand .

FIFA’s official response was to reaffirm their position on government interference in football matters and want to see the Nigerian government reverse their decision. It has also announced that it does not recognise the interim board set up by the Nigerian government and announced that it will only do business with the executive committee of the NFF headed by Sani lulu.So we are stuck at an impasse with each camp relying on higher powers to fight their battle while the future of Nigerian football takes a back seat .Today it was announced by the NFF board that Sani lulu and two other officials have been impeached by the executive committee of the board .It seems this might be a sign post towards the resolution of this crisis and maybe a small victory for the PTF, it remains to be seen?

We certainly hope all these issues will be resolved prior to the FIFA deadline .It is a shame that the future of Nigerian football lingers in the hands of a select few struggling for personal gain and power .This can no longer continue and it is time my fellow Nigerians that we call a spade a spade .My argument is that on the face of it , it seems suspension announced by the presidency is related purely to football reasons and for re-organisation of the NFF for good but it is not . Some people (members of the PTF) merely want to push their agenda to be in power . NFF needs re-structuring agreed but there is something sinister behind this suspension which people are failing to see. .This is just my theory . God Bless Nigeria!!

Tags: Crisis in Nigerian Football, Sani lulu