Former Super Eagles’ welfare coordinator, Sunmonu Bello-Osagie has expressed unhappiness that the management of Nigerian Football Federation Federation (NFF), led by Amaju Pinnick have not been sacked after the disastrous outster of the Super Eagles for Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Bello-Osagie, who was reacting to the elimination of the Super Eagles by Black Stars of Ghana at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, said only the template adopted by Clemens Westerhof, the Dutch football manager of Super Eagles, when he tranvased across the country watching Nigerian league, where he discovered Finidi George, Daniel Amokachi, Jay Jay Okocha Kanu Nwankwos, and Emmanuel Amunike will rescue the dwindling fortunes of Nigerian football.The former team coordinator of the Super Eagles of Nigeria said: “My take on my view as regards to us not going to Qatar, particularly the match that was played between Nigeria and Ghana, was a national embarrassment. But I would also say that it was also a blessing in disguise. Why do I say that? It is an opportunity for us to look back and reflect, and open our strategy book that we used when we had great results in football.
“From the 80s to the 90s, we had a great man called Climate Westerhof. He came, he stayed in Nigeria, he was the foreign coach but constantly was always going around our league and started recruiting players. Finidi was playing for Sharks of Port Harcourt , when he discovered him. Daniel Amokachi was with Ranchers Bees in Kaduna; he discovered him. Jay Jay Okocha was in Rangers, Kanu Nwankwos, all these other players that are now a household name in Nigeria, the goalkeepers, all of them played in our league. Our league those days was like our premiership, the stadium was always filled to capacity. What has happened to the Nigerian League? And the management of NFF, what synergy do they have with the Nigerian League to be able to sit down and see how we can have a strong league so we can be able to discover new talents?
“Why must we be looking for established players all the time? In a country with almost 200 million people and I can say that without any fear of contradiction.The likes of Jay Jay Okochas, Kanu Nwankwos, Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amunike, Amunike played in local league before he finally went to Zamalak before he even talked about Europe.
“A masquerade must dance at home before it goes outside. What happened to the synergy? What happened to our league? Why can’t the management of NFF sit down and say listen, let’s see how we can build the way we were building back in the days. We just want an easy way out looking for players that are established in Europe and all that. A local man or a local boy will become an international tomorrow. It depends on how you groomed that person.“So I say blessings to God. So it’s important to have the syndrome of cosmetics because if you fail to plan you’re planning to fail. How many friendlies did we play? Were we able to discover new talents locally to build a team? Nigeria can have two strong but three national teams easily because of the talents we have in our country. So it is essential for us to go back and try as much as possible to look back, to open our winning book established by a great coach, who has helped us in the past.”
Bello-Osagie, also said while it is okay to blame and sack the coaching crew led by Austin Eguavoen for Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, it is wrong to always throw the crew under the bus whenever misfortunes fall the team without the NFF management team, who’s behind the scene interference, manipulation and imposition contribute to the failure, not sharing the blame.He said: “Now I hear that Eguavoen and the crew have been sacked. Yes. I know people will agree that the first casualties when you have a result like this is the technical crew. There is no doubt they are supposed to have at least some kind of input in making sure that things are done especially in selection. But I also know for someone who has been around, that there are always a lot of things that happen behind the scenes, which you may not know. And sometimes the technical crew may not be able to say it out. And I hear that from the authorities that there was some interference by the NFF top management in selection of the team. That is totally unacceptable. And if they have been sacrificed to go, which I will say there’s no need to lose sleep over that. They have tried. It is unfortunate what has happened, then the President and some of the officials of the top officials of the NFF should also do us a favour and also exit so that we all start from scratch. The days of sacrificing some people, some people going and keeping some people is out of the question. That is not how to rebuild. You rebuild from bottom to bottom.”Bello-Osagie also blamed the players for not showing enough hunger despite being provided with everything to qualify for the world cup, declaring they don’t deserve to be in the team.
He said: “Let me now go back to the issue of the players. It is unfortunate that most of the players we have today don’t know the history of Nigeria football. If you know what it is to wear green, white, green, I’m sure they will not have that kind of nonchalant attitude that they displayed against Ghana. It is a big deal. It is a pride to wear our national colours. But unfortunately, they played as if there was nothing at stake.
“Well, I also know for someone who has been around, I always say these when I was the coordinator of the team. And some of those things that happen, disaffection, the misunderstanding that happen outside the pitch, I managed all those things behind the scenes. Because I believe strongly and I say this from the bottom of my heart that the game of football is 50-50. What do I mean by 50-50. 50% of the game is played outside, and 50% of the game is played inside thepitch. What does that mean? If the mindset of the player is not right, or things are not put in a proper perspective in terms of motivation, it affects their play. But if it is true that everything was done to be able to uplift the spirit of these players, especially those that played the last time not making us go to the World Cup and everything went well. And there was no issue of allowances and all that and they came and disgraced us like that, it means none of them have business to be in the national team. They had no business being there, because there are a lot of players who are looking forward to that opportunity. It is unfortunate. But again, I say this again, it is an opportunity for us to go back to the drawing board and rebuild. So that this kind of embarrassment will not come again.
“Yes, a team can lose but you can lose with your head held high. So that people will say oh man, this team played very well. It’s just because of maybe there was luck or no luck.
“Having said that, we have to rebuild our league and the NFF must start. Whoever is going to be in charge of the NFF, they should try as much as possible to start now and have a steady strong synergy with officials of the league so that the league will be strong. So that this kind of embarrassment will not be something that we have to contend with.”
The ex-team coordinator also condemned the Abuja fans that destroyed facilities at the Abuja stadium out of anger as a result of Nigeria not going to the world cup
He said: “Finally, let me use this opportunity from the bottom of my heart to commend the Minister of sports. The present minister of sports, I have not met him. I don’t even know him but I follow him and see all the good things. I remember vividly this same stadium that we’re all proud of for those of us outside the country when we saw that, that stadium we were very happy, the kind of facility that was put in place. I was there when the stadium was opened in 2003. I saw how it came down to zero in terms of looks, and I saw how it was renovated recently while I was watching on TV.“I want to commend the Minister who made sure that the standard of the stadium was upgraded. But let me say no matter what, I want to appeal to my fellow Nigerians that the destruction of that facility in the stadium was totally unnecessary no matter our level of anger and provocation.
“Our economy is dwindling but just look at it now. Now we have to look for money somewhere to see how we can fix those things. We must take not our anger on the players on the stand, on the goalpost, on the sign board destroying everything in the stadium why?
“My brothers and sisters, Nigeria is our home. No matter what. Let us try as much as possible to channel our frustration on where our frustration is supposed to be. Yes, we can write, we can use different mediums to express our anger but not to take it on that beautiful facility. It doesn’t happenanywhere. Please my brothers and sisters. I know that nobody was happy. Let us try as much as possible to have some level of civility, to have some restraint. So that at the end of the day, we’ll be proud of what we have.”
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