Is it now okay for NFF to go to court?
They took this action for reason of justified fear that the IG could carry out the orders of court and send the illegal NFF packing from the Glass House. Meanwhile, the original court order made no mention of ‘arresting’ any members, neither did the IG threaten to arrest anyone. The old order merely stated that […]
They took this action for reason of justified fear that the IG could carry out the orders of court and send the illegal NFF packing from the Glass House. Meanwhile, the original court order made no mention of ‘arresting’ any members, neither did the IG threaten to arrest anyone. The old order merely stated that no person should parade themselves as officials of the NFF/NFA following the annulment of the elections of August 26, 2010 in September 2010.
Two things interest me as a result of the suit instituted by the NFF members.
The first is that they got an injunction stopping them from being arrested. But take a close look at the order of the injunction. It did not stop the IG from carrying out the original order of the court – that is, locking up the Glass House, or invalidating the original order of court that the elections were null and void. “Arresting” the members is what its order prevented!
Secondly (and this is very interesting), the members actually took their complaint to a regular Nigerian court of Law. I thought it is the same committee members that told the world that disputes between members of the Football family must not be taken to a regular court. They also told the world that any recourse to a regular court attracts heavy FIFA sanction!
So, what are they doing in court? Do they now recognize Nigerian courts and their rulings? Why are they breaching the ‘rule’ they claim is sacrosanct? Why will FIFA not descend on them and on Nigeria?
Olympics – Not for winners only!
I was not at the recently concluded Track and Field Championship that ended in Calabar last weekend. I wanted to be there. My expectation is that the championship would provide an insight into the immediate future of Nigerian athletics as well as the country’s chances at the Olympic Games in London in the summer of 2012.
Recent reports are that Nigeria will be going to the Games with only athletes that stand any chance of picking up a medal. That appears to me to be rather short on vision. True, going to the games with a small contingent saves a lot of money and removes that often-held notion that it is another jamboree. Unfortunately the Olympics for any athlete is never a jamboree. It is the dream of every athlete to participate and be a part of the Olympic experience. In Nigeria’s 50 years history, at the last count, the country has had slightly more than seven hundred Olympians and that includes the team sports like football, etc. It is a truly exclusive club. I doubt if of all these there were more than 2 or 3 that felt on the eve of the Olympics they would come up with a medal. That’s how it is. No one is certain what would happen on the day.
But the more important thing is that the Olympics psychologically prepares young athletes the motivation to believe in self, to think they can do it next time, to see first-hand the reality of competing and winning and that it is of human capacity to compete and win.
Going to the Olympics with only those that have the choices to win medals is a wrong philosophy. Apart from the fact that the unexpected happens on certain occasions, the mere experience of athletes at the Olympic could psychologically propel them to perform beyond their normal capacity.
Take Chioma Ajunwa. Her story is a good example that anything can happen in a competitive sports event. Sprinting, not the jumps, was Chioma’s strength. Everyone was looking forward to seeing her at the finals of the sprints. She failed, not even qualifying for the semi-finals. She registered for the jump only because she wanted to participate in more than the sprints, had been training hard and somehow believed in herself.
Her first jump became the best jump of her life, an African record, and the longest jump ever done by an African. She became Olympic champion! There is no explanation, only that the atmosphere of the arena propelled her to ‘fly’ higher and longer than she had ever done before.
It is not too late to change our philosophy and let any young athletes that achieve the qualifying standards to go to the Olympics. It is surely something to keep in mind for the future.