The 2022 FIFA World Cup that ended barely 36 hours ago in Qatar is spectacular in many respects, none the least the explosive final in which Lionel Messi-led Argentina snatched the Cup from defending Champions, France; after 120 pulsating minutes and penalties. A major theme that rang across the tournament, as it has done in the past tournaments, is that success does not come easy and does not come at all in the absence of a thorough preparation, including the adoption of the right mentality. Clearly, the two teams that played the final showed class and high level of preparation that confirmed that their attainment of the first and second positions was not a fluke.
Significantly, the quality of the tournament’s hosting ranked among the best ever, irrespective of the fact that it was hosted by the smallest country ever, in Qatar, with only three million people. Largely, African countries keep learning the hard lesson that their political and economic instability, compared with those of other climes, will continue to haunt and debar them from reaching the height they could possibly reach in global soccer competitions.
Indeed, mediocre nations and their journeymen administrators have no place in the political economy of modern football! The non-qualification of the most populous black country in the world –Nigeria – is a clear testimony for this. And it is a reflection of Nigeria’s very poor standing in transparency and efficiency that no Nigerian featured as a key official of any of the 64 matches, out of 36 referees, 69 assistant referees and 24 video match officials appointed for the Qatar World Cup. It is gratifying, however, that for the first time in the history of the World Cup, an African country, Morocco, again spectacularly, reached the semi-final and played the third place match, losing gallantly to Croatia. Unfortunately, that feat was dampened by comments suggesting that Morocco considers itself as belonging to the Arab league rather than an African country, notwithstanding its location in the Africa continent.
Overall, Qatar 2022 shows that the World Cup remains worthy of the time, resources and passion the world devote on it every four years.
For Lionel Messi and Argentina; as well as the much-maligned host, Qatar, it is congratulations. Messi who finally won the cup on his fifth attempt (having started in Germany 2006), is particularly outstanding for his showcasing the spirit that it is not over until it is over; and for a legend that has won practically every other trophy many times over; including the Ballon d’Or or the world best footballer a record seven times, it was no surprise that many football fans backed him to win the cup in 2022, fancied to be his last attempt at the cup.
With agonising interest, soccer-loving Nigerians at home and abroad watched 64 matches of the Qatar World Cup finals without the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Since the U.S. ’94 World Cup debut, the Nigerian side has ushered in a colourful aura in supportership. Though African and South Americans have bought over singing, drumming and partying on match-day, the Nigerian corner remains very special to the world. Hence, many neutrals were still asking why Nigeria, beyond her music stars, did not make it to Qatar.
What Nigerians and global spectators could not deny is that the hosting saw the best of football and organisational artistry – that Nigeria lack. Qatar, a country of three million people, was ab initio a doubt for the biggest event in the global sporting calendar. It is the smallest country that has ever hosted the tournament and has managed to secure the hosting right by hook or crook. Amid pre-tournament sneer of its poor human rights records and anti-democracy stance, Western prejudice didn’t give Qatar a chance to successfully host the first World Cup in the Middle East. But the country of only 12 per cent native Qataris pulled it off spectacularly.
Rich in petrodollars, the desert country showed the world how financial force combined with effective altruism and administrative efficiency of resources could shush congenital critics without bending political principles or national values. A whopping $300 billion of oil proceeds was budgeted for Qatar 2030 – an economic development plan that has the World Cup in mind. An estimated $6.5 billion went into stadiums, which include seven new air-conditioned stadiums that are all networked by a metro-line. Among the stadiums is the make-shift and the first transportable Stadium 974, which has since been pulled down and to be exported to South America.
To prove its critics wrong, Qatar showed that it is not the system of government or State-religion that matters, but leadership disposition, right ideas and national interest. Qataris are not known for football pedigree, yet the tiny country is championing elite sport entrepreneurship globally. The country shows what oil wealth and transparent management of resources could still achieve even for the ‘underdogs’, especially where 80 per cent of daily crude oil extracts is not stolen like it is the lot of Nigeria, national oil companies are translucent and ruling elite put national interest before pilfering of the commonwealth.
As the quality of play also shows, African football has made progress. All the five African representatives, coached by indigenous managers, showed flashes of brilliance in the group stages and Morocco emerged the wonder-team of the tournament. While their countrymen are still arguing the Moroccan heritage and affiliation – African, Arabian or even the age-long fantasies of European Union (EU) membership – it is noteworthy that the Atlas Lions pulled one of the biggest surprises of the tournament. The national team won four of its first five games, defeating three tournament favourites – Belgium, Spain and Portugal – at a stretch, to reach Africa or Arab’s first semi-finals in World Cup history. By their quality of play, passion and panache that reduced Cristiano Ronaldo to tears, it was a deserving fairytale that other African countries should learn from and seek to surpass.
Truth is that Nigerian football, not peculiar to the men’s national team, has been fluffing its lines and tripping over shoelaces. The teams have been below par in performances. That explains the shocking ouster from the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in February and eventual loss of the World Cup slot to the Ghanaian Black Stars in March. Truly, there was nothing spectacular about Ghana; Nigeria was just poor and suffering the malaise of routine maladministration of sports generally.
Tellingly, World Cup success is rarely an accident. Unlike Nigeria that only prepare for games and count on miracles afterwards, quite outstanding has been the culture of football development in neighbouring countries like South Africa, Senegal and Morocco, with complementary successes. For instance, the Teranga Lions of Senegal won the AFCON in February and made it to the knockout stages in the World Cup. The Atlas Lions’ performance at the World Cup is also consistent with the Moroccan track records on the continent. The national team made it to quarter-finals at the last AFCON. Its home-based Raja Casabalanca FC has been very dominant in African Continental football at the highest level. The Moroccan female national team was the first runner up at the recent Women African Cup of Nations. It is the rise of Moroccan football that took several years to cultivate. Today, Moroccan football is better for the World Cup feat, earning $25 million for making it to the semis, in addition to a $1.5 million grant awarded to all World Cup teams.
Regrettably, the scaffolds of solid football culture are vanishing in Nigeria. Otherwise, where is a Nigerian grassroots sports development plan or school sport of old that has become globally recognised talent mills? Where are the high-quality facilities to turn the country’s vast pool of talent into world-class players? Why is Nigerian football not marketable? Where is the local league football for male and female talents? At a time global leagues are already mid-way through the 2022-2023 fixtures, a self-styled Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) is yet to find a workable date to begin 2022 season games! So, how will budding talents gain exposure or compete to give the foreign-based Eagles a run for their money in the national teams? Where are the developmental programmes for local coaches, referees and other match officials that can step up to the world stage?
Bottom-line is that the mediocre Nigerian football is getting left behind on all fronts – even in Africa. Nigeria needs to reorganise the sport urgently. Not necessarily to win tournaments overnight, but to sustainably grow the sport, its administrators and with consistent impacts at grade competitions. There is no short cut to success in money-spinning elitist sports. It demands genuine interest across the board, painstaking homegrown process, planning and execution. Nigeria, an oil-rich country like Qatar and 216 million population, is not in short supply of talents and world-beaters in soccer. In theory, modern Nigeria should be bidding for World Cup hosting rights and contending to win it – not explaining why it could not qualify ahead of the likes of Ghana. Anything less is a failure.
