Lack of welfare for Nigerian players: Who is to blame?

I AM always surprised by comments of many Nigerians, especially sports analysts any time an ex-international player died or is wrestling with some health issues. 

  I watched a sports programme recently where the analysts were very reckless in their analysis against the players following the death of former Super Eagles goalkeeper Wilfred Agbonavbare in Spain. The sports industry in other parts of the World strive because they have versatile press who would not call white as black. 

  One of the analysts said it is because the ex-internationals were not educated that is why they could not demand for the money FIFA sent to the NFF for their welfare. What a reckless statement! You mean our football administration is in bad state because Nigerians are not educated?

  Nigeria football administration has been superfluously seasoned or flavoured with politics that it has devalued the necessity for the ingredient of Technocrats. I have resolved in my mind that after all, the administrators are Nigerians and one day, we will get it right. We have had ex-internationals at the helm of affairs at the National sport commission and NFF before. What did they do? Nothing!!! 

  The issue is not about giving money to ex-players, but providing the opportunity for retired players to engage themselves in the industry, where they have spent their lives serving. Majority of our ex-internationals train children in the United States to make a living, but when they come home, everyone wants to coach the Super Eagles instead of going to the grassroots. You can now see the reason why our players are not improving tactically and intelligently and why we have management problem. 

 At times, I sympathize with my colleagues because it is difficult for a player who earned over N500,000 while playing in the local clubs to come back home after so many years to collect N100,000, which may not be regular. But we have to understand the reality on ground and readjust our priorities for the sake of our emotional security with the game of our life.

  The big question is, who will make these jobs available? This is where the National sports commission (NSC), the NFF and the State FA have failed in their professional approach to the game.

  I have told successive NFF administrations that the job of the Technical Director is beyond a Coach.

You must have at least a Masters Degree in Sport Science to qualify for this post. It is purely scientific. 

  You cannot simplify a matter unless you understand the complexities of it. We do not need a foreign coach for that position in Nigeria. It is beyond just trying to win a game while players end up losing the game of life as it is happening to us now because of joblessness. 

It is the engine room of football development. We can provide jobs for our players if our football administrators think in the right direction. I have sent proposals to the NFF in order to deal with most of these problems, but everyone is quiet about it.

  A lot of our players are talented but not healthy. Majority of our coaches need more training in the areas of Human Resources Management in Sport and scientific approach to training. We take too much from our players in the way we train them and the lifestyle of many players contributes largely to their state of health at the end of the day. It is also difficult to monitor the training effect in our players because of the interference of the age factor (Lying about age). 

  Also we are facing a dangerous phenomenon in the area of sport medicine. Our injury management competence is ridiculous compared to what obtains in other parts of the World.

•The writer, Adegoke Adelabu, played for the Flying Eagles, the Green Eagles and the then IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan.