NFF toiling to avoid previous blunders

Nigeria in her first appearance qualified for the second round and was two minutes away from a semi-final berth before Italy’s Roberto Baggio broke the nation’s heart with two goals to end the tie 2-1. Nigeria would go on to appear at the 1998, 2002 and 2010 World Cups.Despite Nigeria’s consistent appearances at the mundial, […]

Nigeria in her first appearance qualified for the second round and was two minutes away from a semi-final berth before Italy’s Roberto Baggio broke the nation’s heart with two goals to end the tie 2-1. Nigeria would go on to appear at the 1998, 2002 and 2010 World Cups.
Despite Nigeria’s consistent appearances at the mundial, one thing that has remained a recurring decimal in the country’s participations has been the crisis that usually herald Super Eagles preparations and participation.
Each of the crises centered on who leads the team’s technical bench. And in all the recorded crises, the indigenous coaches bit the dust as they were given the boot after qualifying Eagles for the World Cup.
In 1998, an indigenous coach, Monday Sinclair qualified the Eagles for France 1998 but it was Bora Milutonivic that eventually took the team to the World Cup.
Then come 2002, Coach Amodu Shaibu in a rescue operation, assisted by Stephen Keshi, qualified the team for the Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup but in the end, he was replaced by Chief Adegboye Onigbinde who hastily assembled a rag tag Eagles team that crashed out at the group stage.
Ex-Eagles captain Christian Chukwu and another former international, Augustine Eguavoen could not qualify Nigeria for Germany 2006 but in 2010 Coach Amodu Shaibu stormed back to help qualify Nigeria for South Africa 2010. Lightening struck twice on the Edo born football tactician as he was again relieved of his post and a Swede, Lars Lagerback appointed to take the Eagles to South Africa.
At the end of Sani Lulu’s tenure in 2010, a former member of the board, Alhaji Aminu Maigari was elected next president of the Nigeria Football Federation. As part of the rebuilding process, former international Samson Siasia was appointed as Eagles Head Coach on popular demand.
Unfortunately, his short spell as Eagles coach was bedevilled by crisis which many people blamed on his inability to manage the ‘big players’ in the team. He could not qualify the country for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea and that ‘sin’ was enough to end his reign.
Immediately, the NFF beckoned on Coach Stephen Keshi who had lost in his earlier bid to manage the Eagles to come and salvage the situation.
So in 2011, Keshi resumed as Eagles Chief Coach and swung into action. Even his die hard critics have agreed that within a short period of time, he was able to inspire hope as well as bring back to life the same players that had become disillusioned and demoralised under his predecessor.
In less than two years in the saddle, Keshi blazed the odds to lead the Super Eagles to their third AFCON title in South Africa.
However, it was in South Africa where Nigeria’s lost pride in Africa football was restored that the seeds of discord between Keshi and his employers were sown.
Events that culminated into the coach resigning his appointment few hours after Eagles’ triumph are well documented. It took the quick intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan to settle the rift between Keshi and the NFF.
Since then, the relationship between the Eagles chief coach and the NFF has been one of mutual suspicion. So even as the NFF is battling to avoid the past mistakes that jeopardised Eagles World Cup appearances, it will take the special grace of God for the team to completely avoid the past pitfalls.
However, as frosty as the relationship may be, indications are strong that Keshi will lead the Eagles to Brazil because the NFF appears committed to avoiding the mistakes of the past.
Apart from bowing to his demand for the full complement of his backroom staff, the NFF has accepted to give the coach all the necessary support for him to succeed in Brazil. The football federation has continued to frown at all reports of acrimony between it and the coach.
To convince all doubting Thomases, Keshi is going to earn three months salary in advance. The NFF said it motivated the coach the same way before South Africa 2013 and it will do the same thing before Brazil 2014.
However, one crisis that is left for the NFF and Keshi to navigate is the list of players for the mundial. A meeting to discuss Eagles preparations and participation in the World Cup has been scheduled for April 22 between the NFF Technical Committee and Keshi. Without doubt, the essence of the meeting is to scrutinize the list of players to be submitted by the coach for final camping in the USA.
Already the yet to be released list has attracted so much debate. Nigerians are waiting with bated breaths to see the names the coach is holding close to his chest.
The committee on its part will surely try to avoid any further controversy over Keshi’s team list but it will also sharpen its sword in case of failure in Brazil.