Nigeria can reach the q-final of Brazil 2014 World Cup – Sambawa

The Brazil 2014 World Cup is five months away from now, what are your fears for the country; do you think the Super Eagles will go beyond the quarter-final stage?No, I am not that optimistic about our chances, not only our chances but that any other African country going beyond the quarter-final stage at the […]

The Brazil 2014 World Cup is five months away from now, what are your fears for the country; do you think the Super Eagles will go beyond the quarter-final stage?
No, I am not that optimistic about our chances, not only our chances but that any other African country going beyond the quarter-final stage at the 2014 World Cup. I am grateful that most of the teams that are participating are from this part of the African continent.
And like I said earlier, in West Africa football is a natural talent that God has given us and nobody can take it away from us. Like Sepp Blatter has said, our men and women have natural football talent.
Honestly, I don’t know the plan of the coach for the World Cup, whether his target is to go for the quarter-final, semi-final or the first round. Whatever we are doing, there is need for long term, short term and medium term plan.
So, for me, the most important thing now is that the players have rediscover themselves, the level of their patriotism and determination has improved, such that our goalkeeper has been voted the number one goalkeeper in Europe; and Vincent Enyeama is someone I can vote any time.
If they say Enyeama is among the best in the world, I will say he will win, he has saved my life, he has saved Nigeria and he has saved his club.
I can remember an incident in a penalty shootout and we were four goals down, but Enyeama brought us back by stopping three penalties at one instance, and I gave him a big gift for doing that.
So I can tell you, with this type of players, Nigeria can go far but to decide where they will stop, In think it depends on a number of factors and number one is the level of preparations by the Nigerian team itself, number two is the incentive scheme and number three is the commitment of the government and the Nigerian people.
Again, in Africa here, no matter how good you are and the level of professionalism, we need a lot of prayers, so we need the support of Nigerians as well. So if all these are put in place, we can go beyond the first and second round, hopefully going beyond the first and second round.
 Should the coach be given a target?
No, the coach should decide the target and sit down and tell the Nigeria Football Federation what he needs to achieve the target in terms of timing, in terms of financing, in terms of camping his team and in terms of preparations.
 You said Enyeama saved your life, can you share it with us what actually happened?
What I said he saved my life was that we would have crashed out of the tournament and that would have been trouble for us, but he stopped these guys; and you all know the war that was going on between my office and the Football Federation at that time.
So, if we had just left the tournament in the first round in 2006 in Egypt, it would have been that the stupid minister did not allow these people to do their work, but thank God we ended in the third place and it was because of the unfortunate offside goal that was scored by Didier Drogba.
So, Vincent Enyeama did a great job that took us to that level, and because JJ Okocha was about to retire at that time, that was when they started using Mikel Obi.
 Sir, what will be a satisfactory performance to you by the Super Eagles at the World Cup in Brazil?
Honestly, with what I have seen in the team today I believe that if they continue, they will go beyond the second round and reach the quarter-final.
 Ok, they can go beyond the quarter-final?
No, they can go beyond the second round. I said they can go up to the quarter-final, likely. If they continue the way they are playing now, in my own view they will reach the quarter-final.
 You have seen the budget proposal for sports in 2014, and as a former sports minister, do you think this is enough to prosecute the World Cup, Commonwealth Games and also attend to other sports demands?
I don’t think it is going to take us anywhere; I have to be honest with you. Bolaji (Minister of Sports) is an excellent human being, he is my brother and he is doing very well, but what I can tell you is I don’t think with the commitment we have seen and the roles sports has been playing in this country the N5.6 billion budget is nothing to go by.
For the Commonwealth Games alone, if we are serious and committed, it will consume a couple of billions.
Let me ask, do you know how much one single match cost, every single match of the national team today cost at least a million dollars whether it is played in Nigeria or outside Nigeria, and if we have to do this and considering the role sports play in today’s Nigeria and we need that unity more than ever before.
To me, it is even disheartening that the Commonwealth Games is even taking place in Glasgow; I was thinking the Commonwealth Games will take place in this city of Abuja and how we ended up losing that to me is one of the most unfortunate things I cannot understand. We worked so hard to get the hosting right for the games and if we had succeeded, it would have been one of the things the present administration would have been very happy about.
So, honestly I so sad that we are not hosting the games; well, but what we can do is we need to find money to fund these activities.
All these we are saying we will go to the quarter-final and win this championship or that one, if there is no money, it will not happen.
The only thing I can do at this stage, like I always do is to appeal to the corporate world that have always supported us and to the various state governments that always support to support us before the event and not after we have won the laurels.
You know that sports activities will always go on and not wait for the budget because events have to happen at the time they are to happen. Like the Commonwealth Games, we are suppose to be in camp about three months ago trying athletes and dropping those that are not good for the good ones and get them training across the globe, but where are we?
So, is sport going to wait for your N5.6 billion? No, so like I said earlier, my brother Bolaji is doing very well but he needs the support of all the governments in Nigeria and the corporate world now and not until it is too late.
I know that the President on him own has been doing the best he can, allowing things to happen, at the same time, I want to appeal to highly placed individuals to come out and support our national teams because if you ask the football federation what they go through to organize a single match in terms of funding and financing, you we weep for them.
So sports cannot wait for your budget, we have to find a way, but you know that recently the President organized a retreat on sports and we hope the Coordinating Minister in charge of economy who is the chairman of this will listen to what I am saying and do the right thing to get the necessary funds in whatever way outside this budget in good time for my brother Bolaji and others to organize their games.
 Sir, one of the challenges to be faced in preparing for the World Cup is the code of conduct for the players, if you were in charge, will you institute a code of conduct for the players?
Why not? Let me tell you, in my own view what sports should do is not to make you the best player on earth. If Ronaldo or Messi and any other world-class player on earth goes and blow your head, he is not a human being. Sports, more than anything else should teach you self discipline.
I am happy with some of the players are doing with their money, and this is what we are saying, it is not only on the field of play; that is what sports should train and teach you.