Fellow Nigerians, the football lovers…
It is a done reality that we are out of the African Nations Cup. Indeed football is beautiful, that gamesof triangles and stroking the rounded ball through channels has broken our hearts, in spite of the strong showing of our ‘young team’. From the players, technical crew, administrators, government and us – the fans; who […]
It is a done reality that we are out of the African Nations Cup.
Indeed football is beautiful, that gamesof triangles and stroking the rounded ball through channels has broken our hearts, in spite of the strong showing of our ‘young team’.
From the players, technical crew, administrators, government and us – the fans; who actually for whom the football is played are heartbroken. Certainly, you can feel and see the dark clouds of disappointment over us.
Thank God we are a very self-criticising society. Lots of mistakes have been made and we are out. But as well, it is a truism that – ‘Success only breeds happiness. It is failure that teaches a lesson’. Yes, it is at this that we must find joy that we ‘failed’ at the stage we did just on the way to what should be the major milepost for the generation of players and for us Nigerians, as we transit from the gloom of our political firmament that we threw ourselves since 2015.
We must find happiness to lead us into the uncertainties we evidently are again plunging ourselves politically come 2023. Qualifying for the 2022 Qatar World Football fiesta should just be that. We, the helpless Nigerians must close and join ranks to ensure that our perennial rivals Ghana and whatever force that comes ahead of us do not stop us from hoisting our beautiful Nigerian green and white flag in Doha or any other venue in Qatar .
It doesn’t matter if we get qualified from the playoffs and end up not playing one game with a complete team at the World Cup, due to COVID screening, as long as we qualify, again, as long as we qualify. After all Comoros and Tunisia have shown us how all that doesn’t matter, as long as you have the heart and the technical competence. Allah forbids that worse scenario. Nigeria cannot afford not to be in Qatar. We must forget about spilt milk. It is spilt. Let’s all pick our pieces and in solidarity forgive, forget and pour similar love and accolades as we did when the team was winning at the African fiesta.
Let’s remember the fact that most of us never had hope for the team until it defeated Egypt, and continued winning through the group stage. It was only after the group stage successes that the sharks, barracudas and scorpions of the wealthy and notables emerged from their dark crevasses to distract through all the chain of players and their technical leadership by forced visits and vile money promises.
The players are human beings and indeed youngsters. They need us to act as parents to them, to love and support them in their hard moments of grief. The football administration must as a matter of urgency think from their heads and sort out the manager appointment and indeed give him/her (Yes – her) the necessary free hand and resources to beat Ghana and continue to Qatar.
We all also as a nation must close ranks and exude positive energy unto the team and all its preparations. The players and all of us cannot afford not to be at the most modern, technologically driven and tradition-founded football fiesta, as the Qatar World Cup experience. To Raise the Nigerian flag in Qatar is a task that must be accomplished! Forward Nigeria!
Brigadier General Saleh Bala (retired), Abuja