Dark spots, bright sparks and other sport matters

One step forward, two steps back for the NFF
Of Unpaid coaches
An SMS from a dying legend
A promising future

Omagbemi and unpaid coaches
Where else to begin but with the situation surrounding the Super Falcons’ preparation for the African Women’s Nations Cup in Cameroon. Just over a week away, Nigeria go in as defending champions, and are by far Africa’s most successful female football team, having won all but two editions of the biggest female football competition on the continent.

One would think then that consistent success would have caused the nation to institute a working administrative blueprint. But that is not the case. The recent revelation that the coach of the female football team, Florence Omagbemi, has not received a single cheque from her employers eight months after being appointed coach of the Super Falcons is nauseating and upsetting at the same time. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which appoints and pays national coaches, have also not paid outstanding bonuses to players as well as camp allowances.

A former international and long-serving captain, the 41-year-old coach recently lifted the lid on this, but remains confident the Falcons will do the business come November 19. One wonders how they will pull that off. It is sad that we may never outgrow this sort of administrative mis-steps. The NFF have in the present harsh economic climate been vocal in crying poverty. Truly, sports does not exist in a bubble, insulated from socio-economic issues. However, the coaches themselves have bills to pay, and are dependent on their jobs for sustenance. It is a plausible excuse for the NFF to proffer, but it is an excuse nonetheless.

To the extent that the Falcons carry the hopes of a nation, we wish them well. However, no employee should have to succeed in spite of his/her employer. If anything, this just goes to show how patriotic Nigerians are – may we not turn out like Argentina, who have a glut of talented coaches, but whose FA had to settle for Edgardo Bauza because no one wants to work with them anymore. On a related subject…

Save My Soul…
Remember Paul Hamilton? Yes, the former international, former coach of the Super Eagles as well as former gaffer of the Super Falcons. He led the Falcons to the first-ever Women’s World Cup in China in 1991. A veritable legend of Nigerian football, one of those heroes whose labour should be properly acknowledged.

The real gist is, he is now bemoaning the cessation of his pension payments, which is doubly unfortunate considering his need to undergo surgery. Still only 75, it would be deeply regrettable to lose his expertise and knowledge over something as mundane as withheld pensions.

There has been a tremendous degree of loss in the Nigerian football community in recent times, most notably with the passing of both Coach Shaibu Amodu and Nations Cup-winning coach Stephen Keshi, who remains one of only two men to have won the Africa Nations Cup as both coach and player.

Incidentally, both also were owed payments due them at the time of their passing, which is a terrible precedent to set. Far from seeking charity, those like Hamilton who have delivered meritorious service, dedicating their very best years to their fatherland ought to be paid their entitlements. Surely, that is not too much to ask.

Two thumbs up, NFF
Only this week, Nigeria’s under-17 team led by Manu Garba took a beating from the England under-20 side in the Suwon tournament, losing 8-1. There are a lot of caveats to bear in mind when looking at this result, many of them logistical, but the most obvious is the three-year age difference between both teams. The Golden Eaglets simply were outclassed by their bigger, more experienced English counterparts.

However, this is a reason to be upbeat. This column advocated back in September for the Golden Eaglets to be engaged competitively, in order not to lose the entire crop following their failure to qualify for the CAF under-17 Nations Cup in Madagascar next year.

The NFF deserve praise at least for getting this team into the Suwon tournament. The competition may be above their age grade, but the experience will do them good, as well as providing a platform for this group to be monitored. When the qualifiers for the under-20 AFCON for 2019 come around, we need not start from scratch. Certainly, it’s a win-win.

No better time to face Algeria
Nigeria face Algeria this weekend in Uyo as the race to Russia in 2018 hots up. So far, so good for Super Eagles manager Gernot Rohr, who seems to have, not just results but luck on his side.

The Desert Foxes are severely depleted at the moment following a spate of withdrawals due to injuries to key players, and have a new manager in the dugout. If ever there was an opportune moment to play the North African country, it certainly is now. Nigeria have played Algeria 17 times, the Eagles have won eight, drawn three and lost six.

There is a lot of history between both nations, especially in World Cup qualifying, but the most recent meeting leading up to the 2006 World Cup ended in favour of the Super Eagles, who picked up maximum points home and away.

The test is sterner this time, but following Algeria’s opening draw against Cameroon, a win for Nigeria could serve as an early knockout blow for Les Fennecs.

With Cameroon likely to win at home against Zambia, it would virtually narrow the field, leaving the Indomitable Lions and the Super Eagles to renew an age-old rivalry with high stakes: a place at football’s grand showpiece.

Skoolimpics Games
On a final note, the three-day Skooliympics Games ended in Lagos last weekend. The maiden edition of the games – aimed at promoting Sports and Education among secondary schools across the country – was limited to schools within Lagos for logistic reasons. About 200 schools and 3,000 athletes participated in handball, basketball, table tennis, athletics and swimming. The Lagos State Government seem quite pleased about the initiative as another platform to discover sport stars of the future has been added to the list of talent hunt programmes in the country. Adeboye Anthony Adeyinka, the senior special assistant on sports to Lagos state governor Akinwunmi Ambode said of

The idea, “We are proud and delighted that boys and girls from secondary schools in Lagos showed positive signs of a promising future for Nigerian sports.” Let’s hope the programme is sustained and continues to receive needed support to fulfil the purpose for which it was created.