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Germany 2006: A World Cup Without Nigeria In a matter of days now the world (and some parts of the United States) will train their sights on Germany as countries battle each other on the green turf for the much coveted trophy that forever stamps a country’s name in the annals of history as a force to be reckoned with in the game of football. Next to the Olympics, it is safe to say that no other event in the whole world has the magic and magnetism to captivate people’s interest or unite people like the World Cup finals. Not even our beloved naija is left untouched by the fever that the mundial brings with itself as everyone monitors the goings on by television, radio or newspaper to check on the progress of a favorite team. Up until this particular outing, Nigeria has had a very successful run in its qualifications to represent Africa at the event. The super Eagles began to qualify for the finals in 1994, perhaps inspired by the feat of the Camerounians at the preceding event. Those young men came to the game with a style never seen before and demolished team after team until Italy swept the rug from under them. The world would see them again in France, Japan/Korea but a life of indiscipline, recklessness, pride, over pampering, corruption and organizational/political squabbling in the NFA will have taken the fire out of their legs, leaving them cannon fodder and stepping stones for other teams. In 2006, matters came to a head when our “miracle-working God” lost His patience and decided that we remain at home and straighten matters out before again nursing any more world conquering ambitions.
The questions that needs be asked in this moment of sober reflection are: what are we missing by not going to Germany? What would the rest of the world be missing by our absence? Have we learnt any lessons or are we still too holier-than-thou to realize that we either get our act together or the sun sets on our football? Do we have anything to learn from the sequence of events that led to our inability to make Germany 2006? Knowing the Nigerian penchant for being infallible and without fault, no one needs rocket science to know that the answers to these ponderings are expectantly in the negative. No, we are not missing anything by staying at home. No, it is not time to overhaul the NFA, no we have nothing to learn from not qualifying for the finals. However, a more analytic scrutiny will reveal just the opposite and more. By not making it to the World Cup, Nigeria misses out on the chance to sell herself to the world. To really understand the need for this sort of exposure, one needs to sound out what people from Europe and North America know about Africans. Zilch! For the most part and what little they know is laced in inaccuracies and falsehoods. This writer have actually met Americans who believe that Africa is a country (not a continent) and those who have never heard the name ‘Nigeria’ before (yes, it’s true!) There is still a lot of work to be done by Africans to educate people from other backgrounds about themselves and their culture. The World Cup would have been an ideal launching pad for such an education. Going out there on the world stage with our football, our songs, our dances, our foods, our parties and our friendliness (after all are we not the happiest people on Earth?) and our ever motivating supporters club will go a long way in showcasing the country and attracting investors and tourists to naija.)
The NFA has constituted itself into a thorn in the side of the game of football in Nigeria. They are reminiscent of the hypocritical Pharisees of whom Christ described as “they will not pass and they will not allow those who want, to pass.” The very body that was formed to develop the game of soccer has instead stifled the game, setting it back many years. The officials and administrators are more interested in grabbing as much as they can for themselves than in working for the progress of the game. It is worthy to note that the corruption that has ravaged every sector of the country has not spared the football association and the overlords who sit astride the path to progress “will not pass nor let others pass.” May their kind be routed out of my generation. To achieve a steady growth in the development of football in Nigeria, qualified administrators with experience in the game as well as a true love for the game should be encouraged to take over the administration of the game (good luck finding such people.) A study of soccer administration in the United States will show a steady growth in terms of performance and development of infrastructure. Although the game is yet to catch on wit the general population, the football administrators continue to build slowly but steadily and this is portrayed with the staggering improvement of the national team with each consecutive outing. This is characteristic of any soccer body that truly has the love of the game at heart.
Again, I must declare that the world will miss our entertaining football, our supporter’s club and their music; they will miss our parties, the joy and craziness we exhibit as Nigerians everywhere we go. Oh! FIFA will miss us so much.
However, as Nigerians, we shall be spared a few pains that normally accompany our outings at the mundial. There will be no squabbles over match bonuses and allowances. We shall hear no stories from the Eagles’ camp of recycled, tired-legged millionaire players and their antics, no tales of them not showing up for training or being too drunk and too undisciplined to be useful in a crucial match. Furthermore, there will be no news of heart attacks, fasts on bread and water, no mobs marching to burn a NEPA office when there is a power outage (as there is bound to be) during a crucial match. Nigerians shall be spared the pains of players making silly errors with ghastly consequences on the pitch or of players and handlers ‘sneaking’ back into the country after a disastrous outing.
Whichever way one chose to look at it, there will be a sense of sorrow in the hearts of Nigerians, Camerounians, South Africans and Senegalese when on the 9th of June; their flags do not sway in the wind as countries march by on the opening day of the mundial. The whole continent will also watch with bated breath as Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo Tunisia and Ghana file past on their way to make all Africans proud. We hold out the silent hope that they will heap on themselves glory without end and if they must succumb, they do so with honor. Nigerians will look back on years past when they came to the world stage as minnows and left as giants who held out against the best of them all and left glorious in defeat.
In conclusion, it is my secret hope that this “drying out” period be used for mapping out strategies for taking Nigerian football to the next level and not squabbling over who should retain what position in the NFA. It is time for some serious soul searching and even the blind know when it is raining.
OBEYA FRANCIS KIZITO
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