A Foreign Coach

A Foreign Coach? A Foreign Leader Too, Please

Francis Kizito Obeya

It will not take a rocket scientist to declare that the Super Eagles face an uphill task in their bid to get to Germany next year. What is most baffling to me is the fact that we needed to draw with Angola two weeks ago before people will wake up to that realization. Like an elder who walks stark naked in the marketplace but can find none bold enough to upbraid him of his nakedness, the Eagles have been managing to survive all their encounters with a few stroke of luck here and there. To the keen observer, it should have taken more than that technical defeat to the underdog (Angola, in this case) for a keen observer to detect cracks in the way the national team does business. With a team full of strong headed, tired-legged millionaires who for the most part lack discipline one wonders when disaster is going to strike. Immediately after that match came cries of “crucify him”, “crucify him!” The culprit this case being the national coach, Christian Chukwu. Not long came rumors of the termination of his appointment and once again Nigeria looks beyond her shores for a coach that will lead the soccer team to Germany come 2006. The routine never changes. From the days of Manfred Hoener through Westerhof –Bonfrere Jo up to the present day, Nigeria’s approach to soccer administration has always been fire brigade; it is only when things get really bad that we become aware of the need for amendments and even then the solutions we adopt worsens the situation not only in the short-term but also in the long run.

How Nigerians dare to expect the national team to be any different from the rest of the country is a curiosity that one may find stupefying. A country governed by corrupt leaders, where nothing really works, blatant mismanagement and nepotism hold sway in every specter of public and private life. Corruption has crippled all the sectors, it is an almost accepted norm to be a thief and those who have cause to feel ashamed are the ones who have refused or are not opportune to partake in the blind looting of resources placed in their charge. The religious sector is not spared and at the time of writing this piece the world-acclaimed evangelist, Pastor Benny Hinn is still licking the financial wounds sustained from the crusade he waged on the battlefield at a place called Nigeria. The man felt a few thousand dollars lighter after his crusade and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria was left scratching their heads in embarrassment. Even the house of God has not been spared.

A sport, especially football, is an entertainment business and like all other activities that fall under this category (such as music, the tabloids, even the lotteries) it has suffered deterioration over the ages. The last time Nigeria had a collective engagement in sports that was impressive was in the ’96 Olympics in Atlanta where the Eagles snatched the gold; the same will forever be said of Chioma Ajunwa. There was silver here and three bronzes there and that was when the sun set on all our dreams of ever improving on our sports fortune, naija became contented with just being second best; it was alright to run the race but winning didn’t matter as far as we were concerned. Growing up to tales of big time legends like Segun Odegbami, Christian Chukwu&nbs p; (yes ,the same one) Oliver Orok,Mary Onyali, Innocent Egbunike and the Westerhoff-trained Super Eagles one could not but count his blessings for being a Nigerian. The sportsmen and women overcame their rivals effortlessly and they reflected not only honors upon themselves and their country but also entertained the crowd thus giving the game a boost. The story is different today. We are entertained more by squabbles over match bonuses and allowances than by actual performances of our players. We hear of interferences with the team managers’ decisions from the powers above armchair sportsmen who believe they can handle our teams better than experts who are actually trained to do so and when the chips are down they are often the first to shift the blame on the hapless coaches. Nigerian sports sector has been ravaged over the years by opportunists who have nothing to offer and yet will not make way for those who do hence, that explain our dismal performances in all engagements.

It is always amusing how people begin to clamor for a foreign coach anytime the Super Eagles find themselves between a rock and a hard place. One can only wonder how that option improves our fortunes in any way. The so called “failures” of the indigenous coaches often pave way for the employment of a foreign one who does nothing new except add to his resume the fact that he once coached one of the most complicated national teams in the world. Whether we win or lose ,these coaches get paid both ways in terms of garnering experience as well as financially while the indigenous coach is subjected to national disgrace and a feeling of being the inferior. What makes foreign coaches tick? Is it the “oyibo”syndrome fallout from our colonial mentality? Or is it the favors showered by these coaches on the errand boys that makes them such hot favorites after al l everyone knows that nothing goes for nothing in naija. Subject Shaibu Amodu ,Christian Chukwu and any indigenous coach to the same type of opportunities as Bora, Mulitinovich, Bonfrere Jo ,even Westerhoff and you have yourself a world class coach. But then, I’m just a dreamer.

When one analyzes our preference for the foreign to the indigenous, one can make rightfully make the following inferences:

Since our indigenous coaches lack the wherewithal to deliver on the performance of our national team, it is logical that we look beyond our shores for a foreign coach.
Since our policemen have become too corrupt, ill-equipped and too inefficient to be entrusted with our security, foreign policemen need to be hired to administer and control the nation’s security organs.
Our lawmakers have proven time and again that they lack the intellect to make laws that will better the lot for the average Nigerian, I propose that we replace them with American congressmen and women whose wisdom will move the nation forward on her path to greatness.
Now that our local government chairmen, governors and ministers have chosen to be personal servants instead of public servants, serving themselves instead of those they have sworn to serve, I suggest that they be respectively replaced by British and American public officeholders who have better sense than to tamper with public funds and property .
The President recently admitted that he was told by the Paris Club to attack corruption in the government before naija’s debts could be written off. For our president to lack the knowledge that corruption destroys a people and to be told of that fact by foreigners, it is my suggestion that such foreigners be invited to replace Mr. President (at least until he can prove that he has the commonsense to lead the country.

Just as these assertions may sound preposterous to many, so is the school of thought that the solution to our troubles lies beyond our shores whenever it comes to sports. Samson Siasia has proved that point, so has Keshi in Togo. Our sportsmen and women who have taken up citizenships in other countries (Igali, for one) bear witness to that fact. Enough confidence and support in the indigenous coaches (especially when the teams are performing below average) will go a long way in building a coach who will in turn produce a strong national team we can all be proud of.

FRANCIS KIZITO OBEYA

PENNSYLVANIA USA