Battle of Blantyre Unfolds!

It is Saturday, June 9, 2012 and I wake up with high expectations in this pretty hotel in Blantyre. The Nigerian delegation arrived in the early hours of Friday and was well-received, by officials of the Football Association of Malawi and the advance party sent by the Nigeria Football Federation, led by Chairman of the […]

It is Saturday, June 9, 2012 and I wake up with high expectations in this pretty hotel in Blantyre. The Nigerian delegation arrived in the early hours of Friday and was well-received, by officials of the Football Association of Malawi and the advance party sent by the Nigeria Football Federation, led by Chairman of the Technical Sub-Committee, Barrister Chris Green. Despite the fact that there is no Nigeria Embassy here (the High Commission in South Africa has concurrent accreditation for this country), the delegation has not lacked much in terms of Mission support and services.

 

On Friday evening, the Eagles trained at the Kamuzu Banda Stadium and really looked impressive. The players looked confident and ready to go. The song on everyone’s lip is victory against the Flames.

Yes, the Super Eagles just have to douse the Flames this evening in order for our country to remain on top of the qualifying group going into the final four matches next year. Considering our pedigree, purposefulness and ambition, nothing else would be good enough.

The next round of matches will come up in March next year (NINE MONTHS away) and whichever team is able to fix itself at the top of its qualifying group would have the psychological advantage for the period.

The sole objective of our trip to Blantyre is to ensure that the Super Eagles, presently at the top of the group, remain there. Nothing must move the team, nothing must happen for the situation to be otherwise.

In a way also, Nigeria have the psychological edge going into this game, not only because we won against Namibia and are at the top, while Malawi could only draw away to Kenya last weekend, but nine years ago, in a 2004 African Cup of Nations qualifying match at this same venue, Nigeria won 1-0 against the host nation.

Interestingly, two of the principal actors that day, March 29, 2003, are here again. The realization makes one to acknowledge that goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and striker John Utaka have been around for a long time. And they are still doing pretty fine. Utaka, who scored Nigeria’s goal that day, nine years ago, was thought to be ‘finished’ as a professional footballer, but has proved every cynic wrong by reviving his career in France, helping Montpellier win their first-ever Ligue 1 title and showed flashes of old brilliance against Namibia on Sunday in Calabar.

The group will certainly hope that Utaka can rekindle that day, or probably that Ikechukwu Uche is able to recoup and make good all the chances that went missing on Sunday, or that other members of the team come good to give us the day.

As I said during the week before departure to Malawi, the group needs encouragement from all Nigerians at this time. I am aware of the fact that some people have been showing impatience and asking why it is taking forever to ‘re-build’. They are even being sarcastic in some of their comments.

But the good thing is that majority of Nigerians are happy at the re-building project. When we started, we did not say it would last only six months. Such a project does not take only six months. The good and great thing is that Coach Stephen Keshi and his crew have been working assiduously and the NFF has been giving them the necessary support services for success to be attained.

While many felt the 1-0 win over Namibia was inadequate, I have also heard very many people who applauded and said the three points were what mattered! I subscribe to the second School. At this point, and realistically in every qualifying race, what matters most in every game is three points.

Surely, at other times, goals count becomes important when two teams are doing so well and may become inseparable at the end. And that is why we must now learn to crack our chances right inside the net. The team is aware of this as well.

With Victor Moses, Ejike Uzoenyi, Ahmed Musa, Raheem Lawal, Obiora Nwankwo and Gabriel Reuben also there to create the opportunities, I believe the Super Eagles will be menacing in this evening’s game.

Once we are able to pick up three points here, the focus will shift to the 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifying return leg against the Wasps of Rwanda, which will also take place at the UJ Esuene Stadium and will come up on Sunday, June 17.

Certainly, these three matches provide opportunity for the Coaches to work harder and better with the players and also for the players to understand themselves much better going forward.

So many people have asked about the Real Principle behind the re-building project. They suspect there is an Unstated Mission to actually close the door against overseas-based players. I say, this is NOT possible. And certainly, barring anyone from any of the National Teams on the reason of where they play their club football is unethical. unacceptable and ignoble.

The goal, at all times, is to have the best set of Nigerian footballers at any category, representing Nigeria at any given period. The only form of ban we are enforcing is League players from the U-17 National Team, and I believe that has been universally applauded.

Going forward, Coach Keshi will always get the support to invite Nigerian players from any League and any part of the world that he feels can contribute meaningfully to the National Team. Whether they play in Europe, Uyo, Ulan Bator or Uruguay does not matter. It is what they can bring to the Nigerian team that supercedes all considerations.

A Tragedy Of Monumental Dimension…

Dana Air plane’s tragic crash as it was about to land in Lagos on Sunday took everything away from the Super Eagles’ 1-0 victory over Namibia in Calabar and threw the nation into deep mourning mood.

I have been given to spells of mournful mood ever since. The loss of over 160 people in such a sudden and unexpected disaster brings us all to the reality of transience of human life – one second, we are here; the next second, we are no more.

On behalf of the entire Nigerian football family, I deeply commiserate with our President, His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, other top government functionaries and the entire nation over this incident. May Allah give those the victims have left behind the

fortitude to bear the loss, and also give peaceful rest to those who are gone.

NEXT WEEK: Squash The Wasps!