In Yoruba parlance, it is said that if Ogungbe (the hunter) aims his gun, the antelope too is wise enough to perch. That the Super Eagle’s coaching job is one of the most sought after in Africa is an understatement because of Nigeria’s status and the influence of football as a unifying factor in our body politic with its near stranglehold on other sports and preeminence which has made the position a tedious and difficult one.
Two ex-internationals of the Tunisia and US 94 hue, have in recent times faced up to the coach, in different ways, with one querying the compensation of the coach in case he’s dispensed of his services and the other mouthing his credentials as a frontrunner to succeed a coach under contract thus undermining the newfound stability and tranquility in the hot seat.
The irony is that they hit stardom, under a foreign coach and signed for top European clubs due to, or aided in part by Clemens Westerhoff, just like Rohr has used his influence to get his current squad into top European clubs because of his contacts as an elite player who played at the top level for Bayern Munich.
He may have stepped on powerful toes because of his preference for Nigerians in the Diaspora, at the expense of home based players thus cutting off some stakeholders, from the cherry and as such, making powerful enemies but based on the perceived corruption in player selection and nepotism which led to the downward spiral of our football and left us with little choice than to tow that narrow path.
Let’s concentrate on qualifying for the Nations Cup and the World Cup and rein in the gladiators in the interest of our football because if care isn’t taken, this ember may become a conflagration because if the present coach is axed unjustly, none of the US 94 veterans, who the cosmos have blessed (they were spectacular but can’t claim to be the best in our history) can retain the loyalty of the new kids on the block, who need time to gel.
Every dog should have its day, but not at the expense of our national interest because this project will bring out the best, in the home based players, through friendly competition,(in the long run),so we need to be careful of throwing the baby away, with the bathwater. A word is enough for the wise.
Gbenga Abidoye
abidoye4life@gmail.com
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Rays of the afternoon sun pelted her head as she fanned the embers beneath the half-cut iron drum with the smoke permeating the air. “This smoke is unbearable, Iya Maria,” said one of the three neighbours conversing under a makeshift shed about five meters away. Their voices rose and fell intermittently…
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. JUSTICE NWAFOR joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…
Maiyaki said the government had also embarked on about 150 road projects covering 1,400 kilometres…
The TETFund boss, in his remarks, said he was humbled by the recognition, noting that…
Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain, Dr Okezie Victor Ikpeazu, has assumed duty as the country’s Permanent…
A federal judge in the United States has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from…
A woman who alleges that comedian Russell Brand raped her when she was 16 has…
…as Ekiti elders celebrate legacy of late Babatola A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of…
This website uses cookies.