“Our football is long dead and gone. This is just the confirmation,” the legendary Austin ‘jay jay’ Okocha’s tweet after that monotonous qualifying match against Sudan might have given a very succinct and direct judgement about the country’s no. 1 sport that personally, I strongly agree with. It really comes to show that beyond interim Coach Steven Okechukwu Keshi (yeah, he’s back) obvious flaws, usual madcap decisions, tactical ineptness to mention a few, perhaps the real problem is deep-rooted. Continually building a team (as he’s always done) without a solid foundation, it thus, will crumble over and over, the longer it takes without the basis the more catastrophic it becomes.
Grassroots football – it is the basis of every nation football which is quintessential to the present stratum of football in that country. Preparation at the lowest level of the game reflects even at the highest level. Spain (former) and Germany (recent) escapades at all ranks of football are classic examples.
It though, seems that I always paint the grotesque figure of Nigerian football but the Gospel truth is that the crux of the prevalent crud simply is how we’ve allowed our standard falter as repercussion of our regressed grassroots development which. This has left me with no other choice than to analyse some issues to confirm my treatise.
‘Man-managers’ or Coaches at Grassroots level?
In Nigeria the word ‘coach’ is deem sacrosanct and it however, strictly captures its essence even at the grassroots level. Moreover, using the moniker ‘man-manager’ is alien to the hearing and hence they are scarce.
An amateur football friend once told me what happened during one of his team’s regular training session; his coach, whom after watching practice clips of a particular German junior side was so inundated that he unexpectedly asked them to replicate what he had watch, surprisingly, one of the trainees restrained and petulantly asked if there are chances they would be ‘treated’ and ‘catered for’ just like the German lads….funny? Perhaps, because he is fully aware that it’s beyond the capacity of his coach.
Developing potential professionals at grassroots level should definitely go beyond the normal on-field coaching practices and to an extent into their personal lives which are evidently done most in first world footballing countries. Successful and illustrious footballers are not only the best coached but the perfectly managed.
However, to turn the ideology behind the more restricted coaching capacity into the more efficacious man-managing, it calls for great empowerment mainly from the game’s governing body in the nation (NFF). A coach lacking financially and materially would find it thorny to take to an extent the father figure of team(s) at his disposal. Incentives also will reduce the level of nepotism, corrupt practice and negativity that continually mars the development the football sector craves.
Age cheats
This same friend of mine also revealed to me an ordeal that still haunts him – he was deprived the opportunity of turning out in colours of an NPFL feeder team because of his diminutive appearance compared to the age he claimed to be , shocking to him, they wanted a ‘Minala’ that age.
Age cheat is prevalent in African football and thus, despite my optimism for the game in this country, I think age cheat has become hereditary as a result of the faulty basis. Unfortunately, age cheats guarantees us silverwares at junior international level but not at the grandest stage of all. It’s also so appalling to see men in their 30s touted as future of Nigerian football and African football by extension.
Appropriate organization, proper monitoring and re-orientation (cannot be overemphasized) of the grassroots development gradually apprehends the already pervaded rot.
Are Nigerian players good representations of its default grassroot football?
“We would have the A-league, B-league and C-league as the case may be…….”, this quote from the newly elected president, Amaju Pinnick, triggered the above question. Gone were the days we had good, active and moderate quantity of representatives at big Europe clubs, what we have now, alas, is meagre presence at few illustrious clubs and profuse presence at relatively lower clubs mostly domiciled in the recluse (football wise) part of Europe, Asia, Middle and Far East.
However, the hard-to-crunch fact is that most players in the current set-up are mere AFCON 2013 memorabilia and if they are to be filtered into the various league A, B or C as outlined by Pinnick the latter two slots would be overtly oversubscribed.
That said, it apparently shows the level of personnel competition in foreign leagues and how equipped and prepared Nigerian players are to stem the uneven tide abroad. It perfectly underlines a typical Nigerian footballer mental-paradigm; to ply his trade in the diaspora (greener pastures – this being at the apex of his plan) at all cost with no astute preparedness. Okocha’s protégé Rabiu Ibrahim a classic example.
My answer – yes, they are in most cases, perfect representation of the grassroot development in Nigeria. Thus, if we are to have more active ‘A’ league players, the orientation at the basis must be of first class.
The Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL)
On a more serious note, what level would you place a league that has; two matches (shaky) televised each matchday?…., most matches played on substandard pitches?…., several matches suspended/postponed?….., a relatively low marketing force (compared to some African leagues)?……, promiscuous dealings as trademark?….., its predictability as the unpredictability of the league’s administration and coordination and also has been able to garner little or almost no attention from its football crazy populace across the country?. Truth be told, the NPFL is currently competing with some European country’s grassroot football.
If the ineffectual Gbolahan Salami & co., were the best legs we could get out of this league then, perhaps, former interim Coach Shaibu Amodu (one of the briefest spell though) was right when he allegedly said there were “no talents” in the Nigerian league good enough for the Super Eagles.
However, as regards this, I am a little bit upbeat given the new administration headed by the marketing shrewd Pinnick – that only if they will be keen to grow grey hair (of course it has gotten to this height).
Moreso, Organizing transparent grassroot soccer events of high standards will help with positively accentuating the NFF with the citizens of Nigeria, as they (NFF) mostly get in the news for adverse reasons and this will ultimately raise the standard of the currently despaired prime sport in the nation.
All said but hopefully waiting to be effected, while grassroots football typically represents the future from all indications it is also as important as the present state of the sport in Nigeria.
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