By Saidu Abubakar
The Nigeria’s Pillar of Sports, Chief Donatus Agu-Ejidike has called on the leadership of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to come clean and explain to Nigerians, “what is happening to our darling Super Eagles and other national teams.”
Ejidike made the call during an interaction with a group of journalists in Ilorin the Kwara State capital over the weekend, as a reaction to the news that the newly announced Super Eagles coach, German, Bruno Labbadia has taken a walk. This happened when football fans were already looking forward to him settling down and concentrating on the next two important matches against Benin Republic and Rwanda.
The Pillar of Sports queried the rationale behind announcing Labbadia’s appointment, when they knew he had not actually put pen to paper. Who is trying to impress who?, he queried further.
The Anambra-born sports philanthropist described it as a national embarrassment, saying that Nigeria and her senior national team – the Super Eagles, are too big global brands to be subjected to that kind of public ridicule.
The former President of the Karate Federation of Nigeria (KFN) said that the last time Nigerians heard from the Ibrahim Gusau-led Federation, officially, was when coach Finidi George was appointed, but as of today, there has been no official statement from the football-governing body regarding the contractual status of coach Finidi. This is despite having a corporate communications department.
Nigerians only read on the pages of newspapers that the former Ajax Amsterdam winger had turned in his resignation letter. Whether the resignation was accepted by the NFF or not, remains a matter of speculation. The next we’d hear was that the NFF Secretary-General, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, announced at a very small hour of Tuesday last week that, the NFF had appointed the German tactician, as the new Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles, with “the appointment taking an immediate effect”.
Even when the man was yet to sign any contract paper, a provisional list of 40 players was released, pruned down to 23 on his behalf. Who does that? Nobody, Ejidike retorted. The NFF Technical Director, Austin Eguavoen is to take a temporary charge for the next two matches against Benin Republic, and Rwanda, at least.
The Patron of the Nigerian Football Supporters Club (NFSC), admonished the people at the “Glass House” to consult widely and run an open door policy that will allow different and critical stakeholders contribute their modest quotas towards the upliftment of the beautiful game in Nigeria, going forward. He added that it is the way to go, rather than subjecting the country and her football to this kind of ridicule.
He equally called for a total overhaul in the leadership structure of the various sports governing-bodies (including the NFF), in case none of them is honest enough, in the face of poor performances, to resign honourably and allow for a breath of fresh air.
Ejidike sees no reason why the NFF should be toying with the emotions of over 200 million soccer-crazy Nigerians, by bringing mediocre coaches from Europe who are rarely known, even, in their home countries, when we have coaches in Nigeria who are as qualified as their European preferences, if not more qualified.
The Pillar of Sports believes that, Nigeria cannot continue like this. “whoever needs help among the administrators should seek, if he is bereft of ideas to move the sport forward, or resign outright.
According to Ejidike, in less than a week from now, the Super Eagles of Nigeria will play two crucial matches in the AFCON 2025 qualifying series, yet there is no substantive coach in charge; nothing can be more reckless and shameful than that for a country of Nigeria’s pedigree in sports generally, and football in particular, he quips.
He therefore called on the Gusau-led NFF, to explain to the great football-loving Nigerians how they intend to get our football back on the right track.
The Nnewi-born business mogul did not limit his observation to football alone. He recalled with dismay, the shambolic performance of Team Nigeria, at the just concluded Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where the country’s contingent went and returned empty-handed without a single medal, despite the federal government’s approval and release of a whooping ₦12bn for both the Paris Olympics and Paralympic Games, (₦9bn for the former, and ₦3bn, for the latter) with nothing to show for it, at the end of the day.
To that effect, Ejidike had, previously, shortly after the Games, called on the relevant authorities in the country, to launch a forensic audit on why the country performed so poorly in Paris, earlier this summer.