We do not need to say football is still what it was in the seventies. To be modest about the entire scenario, I want to depict in this column what football was, how it matters to Nigerians, and how it was worshipped like a religion. The people’s reaction to the game and what the game meant to each Nigerian, regardless of tribe, religion, tongue, political affiliation, or sectionalism; football danced across all the streets of Nigeria without sentiments, fear, or favour, and without a biased mindset. It was people’s opium. The administrative football headquarters in Surulere, Lagos, stakeholders, fans, followers, spectators, players, coaches, linesmen, ball boys, Nigerian Television Authority station (NTA), and Radio station (FRCN) in Obalende, Lagos all performed well. However, the defunct Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN) provided an excellent source of energy. Other sources include generator sets powered by gasoline or diesel, transistor radios powered by Berrec batteries and other brands, and even vehicle batteries used to power “Black & White TV” in some cases, as all of the aforementioned media outlets to the populace played critical roles during the 1970s and beyond when crucial and competitive football games were to be played. Football had a significant positive impact on Nigerians’ lives at home and in the diaspora. There was a group of fans called the “Surulere Fans” on the popular side of the National Stadium! They were no-nonsense fans who supported football without emotion. Their allegiance was always to the Good Side, regardless of whose ox was gored. That was the Surulere Fans’ side that Nigerians knew for sure! The commentary podium was the highpoint and highlight of it all, with the irreplaceable ace late football commentator, Ernest Okonkwo of Radio Nigeria. One of the Federal Radio Corporations of Nigeria!
The current state of Nigerian football administration is opposed to the past. Football administrators at the Ogunlana Drive, Surulere, Lagos were tested and seasoned administrators who had Nigeria at heart with so much patriotism, commitment, discipline, prudence, and loyalty to the Nigerian populace, and of course in this context making sure that whatever policies and promises made to Nigerians were always accomplished in no distant time; as for them, good football delivery to Nigeria and Nigerians were their utmost priority, and that they did w During this period of focus, for nearly three decades of Nigerian football, the country became a country of football candour, pride, and reckoning within the global football community, with Nigerian footballers becoming the toast of top world football clubs. Nigerian football stars rose to international prominence. Football is, without a doubt, a contact sport; it is played barefaced with beautiful jerseys, effectively built to turf standard boots; thus, there is nothing like “the more you look, the less you see, or the less you look, the more you see”. Football is a practical sport; when you watch, you can see how the team performs and who the coach is as they perform their duties on the pitch! It is not about wagging one’s tongue and making a slew of excuses, giving unnecessary reasons for failure, or using the mentality of always going back to the drawing board of emptiness to elicit sympathy from Nigerians for their incompetence and ineptness.
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When a crucial match is scheduled for Saturday in Surulere, Lagos, the entire country will shut down for the national team. By 2 p.m., all streets in Nigeria, including businesses, will be partially closed, with only yellow-painted buses, “molues” and molestaxi cabs offering skeletal services as all roads lead to the stadium, where fans, spectators, and stakeholders from Lagos and the rest of the country will throng in to secure a preferred seat for their comfort during the game. All of the beer parlours, fresh fish restaurants, and cow tail joints will be open, as will the view centres. Meat sellers and other hawkers will disappear from all sites by 4.30 p.m., as the Super Eagles will be on duty. The majority of Nigerians will be glued to their televisions in their various homes, where Nigerians from all walks of life will congregate to watch the match. This applied to all homes in Nigeria across all six geopolitical zones. In that era, the old national anthem was in focus. However, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Armed Forces, has recently reversed this norm in our political lives. The extracted lines read: “Though tribes and tongues may differ, we stand together in brotherhood.” Nepotism and tribalism have negatively impacted our domestic and political lives. And here we are, struggling with abstract patriotism and love for one another. This toll on our football has become too tragic to bear!
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Those administrators and coaches instilled in the Eagles a “never say die” mentality, similar to Ghana’s Ashanti Kotoko FC, which tormented Nigerian club sides from the early 1960s to the 1970s and beyond. The Eagles can then turn their backs to a training session while playing a crucial match. And, according to legend, if the Eagles are down by a goal, they will come out smoking and destroy their opponent for a surprise victory! They have a tradition of Spanish Tiki-Taka and Brazilian Jogo Bonito! They have all types of players on the pitch, including goalkeepers, defenders, fantastic wingers, distributive and sensational master dribblers, and terrific attackers who can always fall back to the defence when things go wrong! To have this kind of multi-talented individual skilful players both on the bench, playing in various teams in Europe and America, and moulding them into a superlative matrix to confront any team in the world, you must be a coach with a Midas touch, whose handwork cannot be overstated. A coach must be competent, experienced, and have a clear mindset. We used to have these types of coaches in batches as they stayed and left, but today’s Abuja Glasshouse football governors have little or no respect for foreign coaches, which is why we are where we are in global football.
When Nigeria wins matches, it is like a yearly celebration. Nigerians everywhere rejoice. The beer parlours are full, and all drinks and pepper soup have been consumed. The owners of such benevolent homes will host everyone to a lavish reception. It does not matter if you are Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Kanuri, Fulani, Ijaw, Urhobo, Efik, Ibibio, Takpa, Ibira, Idoma, Lantang, Ikale, Ilaje, Itsekiri, Ikwere, Kalabari, or anything else; we saw ourselves as one people, one nation united by football! Today, I wonder where is that unwavering affinity, love, unity, and peace of coexistence? What unexpectedly went wrong? Was there anything we missed from good football management? My answer could be yes or no, but I guess it is primarily football! How? Football had genuine football academies in the past, but I will only mention two: the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (YSFON) and the Cross River State Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria (CROSSYFON), which were jointly owned by the Nigerian Navy and the Cross River State government. My close friend, a Naval Commodore, was the Academy’s Commandant at the time! Today, I am concerned for these two renowned football academies, which have produced good footballers for Nigeria at various age levels. I recall learning that Football Academies helped to remove talented footballers from Nigeria’s streets and reshape their futures. Other good-spirited Nigerians involved in sports promotion also contributed to the removal of these types of Nigerian young men from the streets. What we have now are bandits, terrorists, and herders recruiting young men into criminality. Some have turned to cybercrime, such as Yahoo – Yahoo, Four – One – Nine, and ritual killings, in search of quick fortune. Because of the moral decay in society, I am no longer attending school. I dare to ask again: Where did we go wrong?
