Eaglets deserve a better deal!

I remember vividly as if it were yesterday, how members of the silver winning Eaglets reacted to the referee’s final whistle. As if they had a premonition of what would happen to them, the players could not conceal their disappointment and pain. Crest-fallen, the boys refused to be consoled as they wept uncontrollably.  While mid-field […]

I remember vividly as if it were yesterday, how members of the silver winning Eaglets reacted to the referee’s final whistle. As if they had a premonition of what would happen to them, the players could not conceal their disappointment and pain. Crest-fallen, the boys refused to be consoled as they wept uncontrollably.  While mid-field dynamo, Ramon Azeez sunk his head to the lush pitch to pour out his heart filled tears, one man riot squad Stanley Okoro stood and gazed towards heaven as if to enquire from God what they did wrong in the course of the match. As members of the team’s technical crew battled fruitlessly to console the boys, tears flowed freely in the stands as enthusiastic supporters could not hold back the tears that refused to be caged by the spirit of sportsmanship. For a team that had no psychologist on its bench, it was indeed a herculean task to get the players together for the closing ceremony.

Even if I did not understand why the players wept profusely, I now know because they had seen what many of us did not see. The boys knew that the only thing that could fetch them sycophantic honours and rewards from the federal government and corporate individuals was nothing but the victory which had just eluded them. Therefore even as most Nigerians believed they had done very well and deserve to be so appreciated, the boys have been abandoned, thereby confirming their fears.

Few hours after the final match, the Golden Eaglets were hurriedly checked out of Transcorp Hilton Hotel where they were lodged. They were taken to Chida Hotel in Abuja where they stayed for a night. In fact there was no formal farewell get together for the silver winning team. This may be a bit of shocking news to most Nigerians but the truth is that they players and their officials left the hotel unceremoniously because they did not need anyone to interpret the writing on the wall for them. Each found his way out of town as both the federal government and the NFF, Nigeria’s football supervisory body did not deem it fit to bring them together for at least a befitting handshake.

I took my time to put this piece together because I did not want to preempt what the government was going to do. I waited to see my fears for the team confirmed before doing what I have decided to do. I am therefore writing this article to draw government’s attention to the need to urgently save itself and those at the helms of Nigerian football this embarrassment. The silver winning Golden Eaglets deserve nothing less than a befitting reception and a token of appreciation. Reasons for this patriotic call are not far-fetched.

Manasseh Akoso wrote in from Nyanya-Abuja