Plenty of hard work here and there (1)

A few days after we won the trophy in South Africa, I reminded Members of the Executive Committee and Management that the triumph was only a call to much more work. I even told them that we must immediately forget the fact that we won the Africa Cup of Nations in our tenure (for the […]

A few days after we won the trophy in South Africa, I reminded Members of the Executive Committee and Management that the triumph was only a call to much more work. I even told them that we must immediately forget the fact that we won the Africa Cup of Nations in our tenure (for the first time in 19 years and only the third time ever by Nigeria in the competition’s 56 years). It would be recorded in history that the trophy was won during our tenure (no one can take that away), but we need to earn more glorious notes in the history book by winning more trophies, and there is no shortcut to glory other than hard work and perseverance.
Last Saturday in Calabar, we were all reminded of how easy it is to stay up. We all know that it is always much easier to reach the top than to stay there. Every team, every individual wants to beat the ‘current champion’ and make a name for itself.
The Kenyans came with a strange attitude and did everything to try and destabilize our arrangements and cause distraction here and there, but that did not really work with the NFF. We stuck to our focus and arrangements and left them to cry wolf. But somehow, the Super Eagles did not read the script the way the NFF read it.
Over the weeks, it had been important to keep every head under the cloud. The NFF did its bit by impressing it on players and officials that we should continue to play with the same vive and vibrancy and hunger for goals as we did in South Africa. But we truly did not approach Saturday’s match with the push and aggression that it deserved.
Statistics might have played a part. When I read the write-up by NFF’s Assistant Director (Media), Ademola Olajire that Nigeria had NEVER lost to Kenya, and that of 13 previous matches between the two teams, Nigeria had won 11 (at senior level, that is), I knew that the Super Eagles were wont to take things lightly.
In veiw of this, the NFF still impressed it on the players on the eve of the game that it takes 11 players to play the game, and that he who is down fears no fall. Kenya was at the bottom of the table with only one point and Nigeria was at the top, so they could afford to play whichever way they wanted, without any tension, without anything to lose.
You play much better when you have nothing to lose, as the Super Eagles themselves saw when they took on Cote d’Ivoire in the Cup of Nations quarter finals in Rustenburg. Everyone expected the Ivorians to win, except the Nigeria train. We believed in our team to deliver.
But the bookmakers had it all sewn up in favour of the Elephants, and the Eagles simply went in there to spoil the fun for the Ivorians.
That was what Kenya enjoyed. While we struggled to get an early goal that could douse the tension and make us take the game by the scruff, they simply danced around, parked the bus and waited for any slight window. It came unexpectedly, from a free-kick, and we were chasing the game.
At the end, while we should have been celebrating three points, it was looking like a relief to have a point and thereby cut the Kenyans, who were looking like they would go top of the table!
Also, on Tuesday in Algeria, the Flying Eagles lost out of the African Youth Championship at the semi final stage, succumbing to the Young Pharaohs of Egypt in such a tame way that one was truly depressed.
I left for Algeria on Monday with every expectation that the Flying Eagles, having qualified for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey by virtue of securing their place in the last four, would improve radically and submerge the Egyptians on their way to retaining the trophy that we won in South Africa two years ago.
Sincerely, the Flying Eagles did not live up to expectation. Nigerians wanted to see a team that had improved with some sense of accuracy in front of goal, dead-ball expertise and magnificent ball sense. They wanted to see a team that converted chances, not creating 20 chances in one game and fluffing all.
We went to Algeria desirous of seeing a squad that would give us confidence ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup finals. Having seen their senior brothers (Super Eagles) pack so much goodies following triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa last month, it was expected that the Flying Eagles would up their game, throw their everything into that semi final match and conquer.
The truth is, with the Super Eagles and the Flying Eagles, a lot of hard work is imperative ahead of tougher duels ahead.
Having appraised our priorities critically, the Nigeria Football Federation during the week wrote to FIFA to re-adjust our World Cup qualifying games from the new dates. It would be unfair for us to play our matches TWO or THREE DAYS before our opponents, also chasing qualification through winning the group, play theirs.
NEXT WEEK: Plenty of Hard Work Here and There (2)