First of all, my sincere apologies for not bringing
you Sixth Sense last week. I was help up on a hospital bed treating Typhoid and
Ulcer. Ordinarily, it shouldn’t have mattered because I already had something
penned down. But I guess the illness took it toll on me as I only remembered on
Thursday (last week) morning that I had not sent in the column to my editor. Once
again, apologies for this.
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| Rivers United: Going Higher |
This week, I have a lot on my mind to talk about. So
I’d just run through some of these major issues. First off, let’s talk Rivers
United. A couple of weeks ago, I asked on this page if Rivers United is a Dolphins’Re-incarnate.
The team had at the time not been able to get a point away from home in the
Nigeria Professional Football League; their home form was patchy even if they
were winning games; and the manager Stanley Eguma was sounding exactly how he’s
always been in the last three years with loads of excuses. Fast forward weeks
later, and the story is totally different. Maybe it is the ultimatum given to
the team by the sponsors of the club, the rivers State government. Maybe it’s the
coach turning around the fortunes. But having lost twice since the ultimatum
(technically once against Heartlands as the game against Go Round in the Rivers
FA Cup final ended in a draw after 90 minutes); getting an away win in between
against Ikorodu United; and sitting comfortably in the top 4 on the table; one
can only say kudos to the Rivers United players, coaches and management. It’s
the hope of every Rivers State football fan that this progress transcends to a
trophy at the end of the season or at least a continental ticket.
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| NFF: What Manner of Reconciliation? |
Nigeria’s sports minister Solomon Dalung has
inaugurated a Reconciliation Committee to resolve the protracted issues between
the Amaju Pinnick led Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Chris Giwa
camp. I wouldn’t want to get into the details as to how we got here. I guess
this is already public knowledge for most football followers. My pain however
is the fact that most if not all of these sports administrators angling for the
position of the NFF are not doing so because they want to offer solutions to
the problems of the country’s football. It’s about the financial gains, the
estacodes and every other benefit the office brings. Nigeria has failed to make
the last Africa Cup of Nations and won’t be in Gabon next year but instead of
these administrators to look at ways to avoid missing out on the next World
Cup, they are busy fighting over the soul of the NFF.
What does the Reconciliation Committee aim to
achieve? Why is Chris Giwa laying claims to an office when his election hasn’t been
recognized by FIFA and his plan to get justice at the Court of Arbitration for
Sports (CAS) rejected?
On the other hand, is the NFF bigger than the laws
of the land? Why is that till now the laws of the land only recognize Nigeria
Football Association and yet the football house operates as NFF? Why has it
been so difficult for the National Assembly to take a holistic look at the laws
setting up football administration in the country? Should government not have a
say when it is the major sponsor of the NFF?
The answers to these questions might vary but I honestly
believe if we want to move football forward in this country, then we need to
answer them critically even as we await the outcome of the Reconciliation
Committee.
AFRICAN FOOTBALL STILL BACKWARD
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| Enyimba Players Celebrating |
As you read this, Nigeria’s sole representative would
have either made it to the group stages of the CAF Champions League or get
knocked out. On the eve of the game in Sousse, Tunisia, loads of unpleasant stories
have emerged especially from the Enyimba camp. According to the club’s official
handle, the bus provided for the team was recalled by Tunisian officials and
Enyimba players had to board taxis to training. More so, some angry Etoile fans
were pictured throwing stones at Enyimba players as they trained in preparation
for the game. It’s very easy to call this act by the Tunisians outrageous but
then, do they have a genuine reason for this act? I didn’t see the first leg of
the game in Port Harcourt but several independent reports I gathered suggested
that officiating was a little biased in favour of the home side. And with the
huge presence of Tunisian journalists who covered the first leg, I gather their
reports back home suggested as much. Could that be the reason for the harsh
treatment meted out to Enyimba? Truth of the matter is that CAF needs to find a
way to curb all of these anomalies if it wants to favourably with UEFA
competitions. A situation where home teams would use intimidation and other
under-hand tactics to win games at all cost doesn’t bode well for CAF. The time
to act is now.
PS
Enyimba won the game 4:3 on penalties despite a 3:0
loss in the return leg. The penalty shoot-outs were really nail-biting. But worryingly,
reports of intimidation in the stadium left a lot to be desired. Head of the
club’s media Farriel Alaputa tweeted after the game about how hostile the fans
were. Throwing of missiles at Enyimba’s bench; using lasers to distabilise the
team during the game and fans blocking the team’s convoy on way out just doesn’t
bode well for CAF and we want the competition to rival the UEFA Champions
League?
CREDIT
Rivers United pic courtesy goal.com
NFF pic courtesy vangaurdngr.com
Enyimba pic courtesy dailypost.ng
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