‘Eagle7’ landed just a few days in the past on AirPeace, the delight of Nigeria and new ‘King of African aviation’.
My trip was terrific. My household had conspired to ship me away for a well-earned vacation. That’s how, flying in type, I spent two restful weeks in the UK.
I used to be feted, feasted and ‘fully ‘spoilt’ by my household and buddies.
There’s something about Nigeria that defies logic. While there’s a flood of financial emigrants leaving the nation at least alternative and at any value, there are these of us that can’t keep exterior the nation for any prolonged interval, unable to withstand the pull to return rapidly, regardless of the social, political and financial hardship within the land and the infinite struggles which have been the truth of our every day lives for many years!
Nigeria may have been one of many biggest nations on the planet, however she just isn’t. But, we insist there is no such thing as a place on the planet fairly like dwelling, ‘warts and all’. There’s none.
The nation stays the place to expertise life at its fullest – the great, the unhealthy and the ugly of it!
I thank all those who despatched me goodwill messages, and for understanding why I needed to be lacking on these pages for some time. The excellent news is that – I’m again, re-energised and able to soar once more.
My return coincided with the frenzy of the World Cup qualifying soccer matches throughout Africa.
The match between the Tremendous Eagles and Bafana Bafana dominated sports activities conversations. Nigerians had been feeding themselves with expectations primarily based on unrealistic hope, despite the fact that they knew that the truth painted a completely completely different image.
Which Nigerian doesn’t know that the Tremendous Eagles had been overhyped and over pampered? That they had not been spectacular and convincing of their performances for nicely for over a decade while altering coaches like child Diapers, and massaging the egos of gamers that would not reciprocate with nice performances on the sphere.
The nation was so starved of success that when the Tremendous Eagles managed to get to the finals of the African Cup of Nations in January of 2024, and misplaced, the nation had an orgasm, celebrating and rewarding the group as if that they had gained the World Cup!
Since then, the nation had paid for this seeming profligacy, its soccer remaining stagnant, not rising above that plateau, and struggling to justify a celebration which will now be thought-about untimely.
Since then, the Eagles have grow to be like Guinea Fowls flying solely in brief stops and begins, from one match to a different, at dwelling and away, placing up common performances, and making Nigerians to feast on prayers for a easy victory.
That is the Large of African soccer at a time, in a quest for a World Cup ticket with a brand new format that gives the most important variety of groups to qualify from Africa, with Nigeria within the best Group!
The group has been limping from one uneventful match to match, with Nigerians persevering with to help them in hopeless hope.
Again from my trip just a few days in the past, I selected to not go to Bloemfontein for the World Cup match towards South Africa. I felt it was going to require a miracle to come back out unscathed from that battle.
So, I joined soccer followers on the Eagle7 Bamboo Backyard in my little village, Wasimi, prepared the Eagles to tug off a miracle and defeat the South Africans. They ran endlessly and fought nicely all through the 90 minutes. Though they created only a few possibilities, they had been unlucky to concede an own-goal early within the match.
On the finish, Nigeria didn’t deserve a victory and the rating line (1-1) was reflective of the performances by each groups in match performed on a really unhealthy turf as a part of the technique of the South Africans.
The match ended the way in which it did, and Nigeria’s possibilities of nonetheless qualifying for WC 2026 have grow to be much more tough – simpler than for an elephant to go via the attention of a needle’.
Now, what subsequent?
A handful of unrepentant optimists are nonetheless singing the hopeful track, and utilizing computer systems to calculate Nigeria’s slim possibilities of qualifying.
Most Nigerians, deep down, have given up hope and are already baying for the blood of these they contemplate chargeable for this unacceptable state of affairs.
A number of of us are licking the injuries of our misplaced fortunes and alternatives, condemned to ready one other 4 years, after the final 8 barren years, for the following World Cup in 2030.
True, there are two extra matches to go, however it might be foolhardy to anticipate that destiny that already been sealed can be altered when the circumstances across the group haven’t modified.
What should occur now’s a forensic audit of Nigerian soccer. The query of who will conduct this mandatory activity will now grow to be the poser that should be answered in truth.
The buttons of soccer administration in Nigeria should be reset as a result of that’s the place every part in soccer growth is anchored to.
The nation can not proceed to tread the identical barren path and hope to finish up in a forest of luxuriant bushes.
For so long as the reins of energy stay within the fingers of the identical folks which might be in cost and their acquiescence is required for any change to occur, there is no such thing as a hope for change.
There should be a deliberate tumultuous revolution set off underneath the supervision of an impartial arbiter to return Nigerian soccer to the monitor of progress and real growth.
So, while ready to see what occurs with the final collection of matches within the Group, there are just a few spots of sunshine bursting via the darkish clouds of Nigerian soccer.
20-year previous debutant, Benjamin Frederick, performed brilliantly and safely within the match towards Rwanda. There was no justification to have saved him on the bench within the subsequent match for an growing older William Troost-Ekong.
Now we all know higher. Benjamin is the revelation of the 12 months for me.
There are just a few others within the horizon, untainted by the ‘failure’ of the present era, sprouting across the European soccer circuit.
There’s David Odogu. I wrote about him a few 12 months in the past. He was 18 years previous on the time and was an integral a part of the profitable German group on the final Underneath-17 World Championship. Three weeks in the past, he was signed by Italian Giants, AC Milan. He’s that good. Nigeria has the chance to lure him to play for the Tremendous Eagles.
His mixture with Benjamin Frederick can be, in my estimation, the perfect pairing on the centre of any protection in Africa for the following decade.
I noticed the video of a younger Nigerian participant within the Scottish or Irish league. I didn’t catch his title (however I’ll discover out as a result of I nonetheless have the clip).
He possibly the artistic genius the Tremendous Eagles have lacked because the exit of Jay Jay Okocha.
Residence primarily based gamers can not type the spine of the brand new Tremendous Eagles for apparent causes. The home sport is just not adequate technically for now, regardless of all of the hype, to find, develop and ship gamers able to play on the degree of the Tremendous Eagles.
Lastly, I refuse to be consumed by the present ‘disappointment’ by the Tremendous Eagles. In my humble understanding of how the Universe works, I cannot curse the ‘darkness’. Diamond and Gold will not be discovered on the streets however in ‘darkish unfathomed caves’.
We should use the present ‘failure’ as a lesson for what to keep away from in shaping a brand new path for Nigerian Soccer and for a brand new Tremendous Eagles, going ahead.
