By Jacob Ajom
The Super Eagles are expected to shrug off their disappointing World Cup campaign and welcome a new challenge as they confront the rest of Africa at the biennial continental football fiesta, the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Nigeria will begin their quest for a fourth continental title with a tie against Tanzania on December 23. Most Nigerians remain inconsolable after the Super Eagles failed to win a ticket to the FIFA 2026 World Cup, even when the country was offered a second chance through the playoffs. The aggrieved Nigerians feel so bad that, whatever the Super Eagles may achieve in Morocco cannot assuage them for the country’s World Cup failure.
The Commissioner for Sports in Rivers state, Barrister Chris Green, a one time executive member of the Nigerian Football Federation was indifferent when Sports Vanguard contacted him. “Who cares about the Nations Cup?” he asked, dismissing the import of winning a fourth title as a country. “We have won AFCON three times, so there is nothing new about winning the AFCON.”
Barrister Green tongue-lashed the current board of the NFF for their inability to turn things around for Nigeria football.
He said, “The state of Nigerian football is not encouraging at all. It is in tattars We have abandoned the foundation laid for us by the founding fathers. We had a smooth transition from one success to another
“We have a problem of competence,” he told Sports Vanguard. “In terms of capacity the people that are saddled with the responsibility of administering and developing the game are not capable. It appears openly that the job is beyond them.”
He said the poor administration of football in the country has made the NFF leadership almost anonymous. “And you begin to ask yourself the question, how many people are really running football in this country? We don’t see any other person. We don’t even see the president most times, we don’t see them. They’re not visible. And we don’t know what they’re doing.
And at the same time, they cannot give account of what they have done so far. They are supposed to be reporting daily, or periodically to Nigerians because football is our national asset.
If you go to Morocco, you will see the people running football. You know them. Go to South Africa, you can see the development of football in that country. They have a robust football development plan which they are following assiduously. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt. These are people that are supposed to be queueing behind Nigeria.”
Referring to the last CAF Champions League match between Rivers United and Berkane of Morocco, Green thumbed down Nigeria’s wanning influence in both CAF and FIFA. If we have influencial people in CAF, they will respect Nigeria.
He wondered why Nigeria, with all her supposed presence in various committees in CAF and FIFA should continue to suffer questionable officiating and become a target for intimidation from CAF referees in continental competitions. Said Green, “Even in CAF, we can’t hold our own anymore”
Rivers United are going to protest that match. We have already protested, but we know that the result will stand, but for the records, okay?
“I want to have a look at it critically because the referees that did this thing are from Senegal and they are listed among the referees for AFCON? You saw the referee made exactly all the questionable calls. The equalizer they had, was a foul goal. The footage is there for everybody to see. They pushed the defender, before they scored the goal. When they restarted the game again, the rule says that if a player is down, they don’t restart the game. They restarted with one of our players down on the turf and they went ahead to score. But if we actually had people in CAF, they will respect Nigeria. They will fear Nigeria.
“In our time, we didn’t even consider ourselves as the best in the country. Instead, we considered ourselves as privileged but average individuals. And so I can tell you without any fear or favour, the place(NFF) is not open for people to come in. It’s not open, only a few persons come there and you don’t even see them. You don’t even know what they’re doing.
Our time, I can probably say, was the best time of football in Nigeria. Compare it even with the time of Westerhof with the kind of achievement we had. They say they have a technical committee, where is the technical committee? We don’t even know if it is in existence. We don’t know. And what is their capacity and how competent are they? Can they compare themselves with others in South Africa, Egypt, Morocco or any other country?
Ok those political people who got appointment in CAF and FIFA of what bearing has their membership of those committees on Nigeria? They are there in their individual capacities. I don’t consider that as an achievement for the country. It is a personal thing. We have not gained anything. Show me what they have done for the country?
Now look at the NFF. FIFA has 15, 12, 14 Goal Projects across different countries all over Africa, how many do we have in Nigeria? How many have they been able to attract? They said they are building a hotel. Is hotel what we are talking about? Where are the infrastructures? How many stadia or playing fields can the NFF boast of? If they don’t build stadium, what about playing fields? If you don’t have playing surfaces, where do you train your players? What is the synergy between the NFF and the NSC?
When he was reminded that the chairman of the NSC was part of the NFF family for years, Green asked, “why has he not made it count for Nigeria football? He should make it count.”
Way forward. “To be able to make any progress, we have to look at ourselves and tell ourselves the naked truth. Let us look at the scorecard: U17 zero for many years, U20 zero for many years, Flamingos zero, for many years. The Super Eagles have failed to qualify for the World Cup back-to-back, what about the CHAN zero. The highest you can get for clubside is second round or quarter finals of the CAF Champions League, which is Rivers United. So should we be priding ourselves because of it?”
We saw a shift in terms of focus since 2014, we seem to depend on Nigerians born in the diaspora to come play for Nigeria. How has that impacted on the domestic game?
“It has not done anything. That is why I have been hammaring on the technical development of the team. The technical committee is nonexistent because when I was there 60 per cent from the domestic league formed the nucleus of the national team. It was our time that we broke that dichotomy between foreign based and home based. We threw it open as we felt everybody had a right to compete and the competition for shirts in the national teams was high. We made sure the domestic league was in good shape because we depended more on the domestic players. Now we talk about diaspora Eagles. Now you have 100 percent coming from outside. What does that show?
Some ex-internationals have been making a clarion call on the NSC and the presidency that the congress that elects NFF leadership is lopesided as state FA Chairmen hold the ace with close to 40 votes as against other stakeholders who are restricted in number.
That is what I am saying that the place should be thrown open. Tell me since the exit of Amos Adamu, how has Nigeria faired in CAF? Since the exit of Adamu, what have we achieved?
We are out of the World Cup and we are heading now to Morocco for the AFCON. Do you think Nigeria has a chance?
Well football is not about competitions only. It’s about development and consistency. If we win the AFCON and our football is in tatters, what does that mean for our football? It does not do us any good, when our best legs are leaving everyday to go and play in some remote countries, some not even affiliated to FIFA.
It is my belief that we need to rebuild our league because that forms that basic foundation for the national team. We need total restructuring. We had a dialogue the other day, convened by Aron Akerejola. He is just an individual who has contributed his own quota. I expect the NSC, if they are really serious about developing sports in Nigeria to have a CONFAB. Call the eggheads, people that are knowledgable come and discuss, notes are taken and we begin to implement. I tell you, they will never go wrong if they can do that. It is not a quick fix something. We should look at something that is enduring. Let us give ourselves a period of ten years. Can’t we project and plan for 30 years? For now, all we are thinking of is for the immediate. We want to go and play U17, we want to play U20, this and that. No. Where will Nigeria football be in 2030? In 2040 or in 2050?. That is how other countries project to host the world Cup 50 years from now? They can do that because they are planning ahead. They know where their football would be in the next ten, fifteen years. Can you bid for anything in Nigeria?”
You are calling for a confab. I remember after the 2012 Olympics which Nigeria failed to win any medal, President Jonathan organised a sports confab, recommendations were made. What has become of it?
This time it must work. Call a confab and let all the people in the presidency come and sit down. Let all those who are knowledgable come and contribute. Decisions will be taken there and then and they will follow it up with implementation.
How were you able to handle players’ match bonuses and allowances in your day?
We never had that problem in our time. What happened in Morocco was a big shame. I am not taking sides with NFF but the players were at fault. They played against Benin in Uyo. They had the ample chance to have settled that in Uyo. That is why I am calling on the NFF to sit up because they gave these boys an opportunity to embarrass the entire nation in far away in Morocco. All they needed to do was to call the players, pay the players their money. If you don’t have the money available, it is as simple as ABC. Tell them when you will pay. Ask those who are ready to play to stay. I also understood that NSC gove them a lot of money. In one breath, the NSC said there was N1 billion somewhere, in another breath NFF said there was no money. That is why I am saying that the NSC and the NFF must harmonise. But I still see that action by the players as sabotage. Meanwhile they failed. See what God did for us. He gave us a second chance and we blew it. You think I am happy that I won’t be going to the World Cup. That is where our football is. That is where we are.”
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