By Steve Aya l Thursday, November 14, 2019
LAGOS, Nigeria – After the Golden Eaglets crashed out of Brazil 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, the NFF fired the head coach of the team, Manu Garba. Hiring and firing coaches is not new in football especially when it is obvious that the coach failed in his responsibility like Manu who couldn’t take the 5-time champions beyond the knockout stage.
Yes, it is unacceptable but shouldn’t we first look at the background events or undercurrents leading to such dismal and shambolic performance. I think those who sacked Manu Garba should simply resign.
These are my reasons. First, the team failed to meet the expectation of the NFF because the latter failed on its part to do the needful or repeat the things that gave Manu the trophy in 2013 in UAE or his predecessors.
Part of these things was picking or selecting the best players available for the championship by combing the nooks and crannies of our beloved country for talents. By this, I mean visiting the same ground or grounds that produced the previous players who did the country and Africa proud.
NFF cannot claim ignorance of the influx of top government functionaries in the camp of the team during the preparatory stages of the World Cup, who “forced” their wards on Manu or schemed their ways through same NFF officials. It is even alleged that a few officials of the football house were the go-between these super-connected parents in government and the coaches of the team.
Secondly, with six months salary debt owed Manu Garba before and during the World Cup, the NFF had clearly shown that starving the coach and his crew is tantamount to asking the team to be less committed in its assignment in Brazil.
Thirdly, at every point of assembling the team, the NFF cannot claim ignorant of knowing that the team lacked quality players and, the cause of this is the infiltration from government officials, lack of motivation of both the players and their coaches. NFF closed it’s eyes and folded it’s arms to this even it turned deaf ears when the media raised the issue.
Again, the appointment of coaches by the NFF is tinted with nepotism and favouritism. Why was Christopher Danjuma retained as Super Falcons coach after his team lost Tokyo 2020 Olympics Ticket to Cote ‘d’ Ivoire? Appointing coaches on the basis of who they know in the NFF or in government is one of the bane of football development in our country. It is a form of nepotism and a way of corruption which the Muhammadu Buhari administration is fighting against.
The NFF is absolutely insensitive in most of its decision especially as they concern football development from the grassroots and financial management.
Some coaches fail but are retained while others fail and are given the boot. When Gernot Rohr won us our sixth bronze medal at Egypt 2019 AFCON, which to a large extent was a clear failure considering the fact that he couldn’t lead the same team beyond the group stage at the World Cup in Russia a year earlier, he was sent on refresher course to his native country Germany which seems a thumbs-up for failure .
But when Amuneke and his boys were frustrated and starved off funds with the U-20 assignment, he was thrown out. Again, I say those who sacked Manu should be fired! This was the same NFF that recalled Salisu Yusuf after serving his ban for receiving bribe as Super Eagles coach.
It took the outrage of football loving Nigerians to bring the insensitive NFF back to their senses. Yes Manu Garba should go…but those who hired and fired him should equally go
