By Chukwudi OHIRI
Yes, since the ouster of the Nigerian Super Eagles from the 2012 nations’ Cup courtesy of their truly dismal performance in the match with Guinea, even those who joined me in singing Sia-one’s praise when he took over the Nigerian senior team have overnight, started calling for his head. Though I am not particularly surprised as this is the Character of Nigerians generally, I want to beg that we should not sacrifice this young man who means well for Nigeria for as the saying goes, failure is a recipe for success.
First of all, was he the one who told Taiye Taiwo, Osaze, Nsofor, Yobo and all other players who lost very glaring chances that my old mother in the village cannot miss to flicker the chances. No. Nigeria had no reason to lose that match if not for the lack-luster approach of the team and perhaps, mother luck. The pressure was on the Guinean team almost all through the game and the technical formation of the Nigerian side was quite OK. It was the players who simply failed to raise the game to the right tempo allowing the Guineans to play on their temperament.
Is it because of Vincent Enyeama whom who sincerely wanted to tame? The problem with Nigerians is that we are not ready to make painful sacrifices today so that our tomorrow will be better. There is no doubt that indiscipline and undue interference has been the bane of our national teams for years now. These are some of the small small clogs in the wheel of our national progress which Siasia intends to deal with while building a formidable team for Nigeria. Nothing good, they say comes easy and sincerely I can see indiscipline and undue interference gradually taking the back seat in our football. Halting Siasia now will definitely send us back to the beginning where players will hold the nation to ransom believing they are indispensable. The NFF will also begin their interference by dictating to the coach who to play and who not to play. If only Nigerians will see things this way and give Siasia a chance to complete this Cleansing. Enyeama may not be the worst or most stubborn player in the team, but someone has to be the scapegoat. No matter what it costs us today it promises a better tomorrow.
In the past, the allegation against our national coaches has been that of shortchanging players for money. They are accused of collecting money from glaringly unfit players to feature them in matches to the detriment of nation. Since Siasia took over, such stories are no longer heard and as a matter of fact, there are no sacred cows in the Siasia team that one can say are untouchable. No player can readily lay claims to a regular first team shirt except probably, Enyeama, yet, the coach did not spare him in instilling the much desired discipline in the team. The fruits and benefits of this, if only we can be patient enough, would far exceed the loss of today if sustained. The team no doubt, is not yet our ‘dream team’ but Siasia has been injecting new names into the team giving everyone the opportunity to prove his mettle. Some names that gave Nigerians heartache and yet they were always sure of a first shirt have gradually disappeared into oblivion as there is no longer any place for them in the team. No wonder the likes of Aiyegbeni Yakubu were the first to call for the sack of Siasia because he gave them their rightful position in the team. Where are the likes of Kaita and the rest of them who will always sneak through the back door and still make the team?
In the past, one used to hear of a ‘mafia’ group in the supper eagles team. I doubt if such things still exist. The rot has been so monumental that the cleansing is likely going to take a longer time to complete, but we all need to be a little bit patient as Siasia is even moving faster than we had anticipated. Westerhof (the most successful coach we have ever had) came to Nigeria in 1989 and it took him some five years of trial and error to produce a team that later led Nigeria to her first ever World Cup appearance having led the team earlier in the same 1994 to a successful outing in the Nations cup hosted by Tunisia where they clinched the trophy. The team soon became tormentor in chief of any country it played against. Siasia has only been on this job for barely a year and has on the average, happier moments than sorry ones (though nation’s cup ouster appears more painful than all happy moments put together).
Alright, let us sack Siasia. Who are the likely successors from the local scene first of all? I heard some people say Stephen Keshi. The same Stephen Keshi we booed out of the national team. Sacked by NFA for non performance and lack of technical knowledge. The same Keshi that was yet to find his feet in Togo. No doubt, he is one of the most respectable coaches of our time but is he better than Siasia? If he cannot contend with the Togo FA, then supper Eagles is bigger than him point blank. Some say Oliseh, are we not tired of experimenting with the supper Eagles? Okocha and Kanu where mentioned in whispers. Good and likely great potentials let them start at the academy levels and grow. Great players indeed with a lofty and bright future for this country, but they must start somewhere. Is it Amokachi, Amodu, Eguavoen or John Obuh? Haba Nigeria, when are we going to grow up for once?
I hear many say “get a foreign coach”. This is beautiful, but even a Josep Guardiola, Jose Morinho, or Sir Alex Ferguson will need a lot of time to settle in Nigeria. We will still lose and lose matches before we find our feet. But again, will they cope with our bureaucratic bottleneck; our politics; our interference? There are chances that our local football may no longer receive attention as experience has shown us. They will concentrate more on combing Europe to find our players for us. Siasia has proven with time that he is a grass root person. A discoverer who has made many great foreign based players out of our local clubs. The urgency of qualifying Nigeria for major tournaments may have distracted him all these months. Now that there is nothing to fight for and with years to prosecute the 2014 world cup qualifiers, perhaps our local clubs may receive the greater part of his attention.
While we are clamouring for the sack of Siasia, let us try to juxtapose the idea with the likely alternatives, then we will begin to appreciate that the devil we know is better than the Angel we are yet to see.
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