Posted by by Ademola Olajire on
Unknown to many Nigerians, Sunday's results in group four of the African series for the 2006 World Cup finals shoved the Super Eagles to second place in the pool, and were those to be the final tallies, the Super Eagles would have had to stay at home while next year's World Cup finals are played in Germany.
Unknown to many Nigerians, Sunday's results in group four of the African series for the 2006 World Cup finals shoved the Super Eagles to second place in the pool, and were those to be the final tallies, the Super Eagles would have had to stay at home while next year's World Cup finals are played in Germany.
Fortunately, it is not the final tally, as the Eagles are gifted an opportunity to redress matters when they host Angola's Palancas Negras at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano, next Saturday.
That the Nigeria Football Association has taken such a crucial match to a city that has no tradition of hosting international games is no longer an issue we should quarrel about. What remains to be done now is to pool efforts together to see how Nigeria can beat Angola.
The Super Eagles very nearly made it dicey for themselves, as it would have been if Obafemi Martins had not got the equalizer with only 12 minutes left against Rwanda in Kigali on Sunday.
Against the Amavubi, the Eagles showed a disquieting lack of co-ordination, poor fitness level and a lethargic approach that must be upbraided. The game desperately begged for either team to take it by the scruff as it slipped into a ding-dong in the first half, but rather than take the challenge, Nigeria sat back as if looking for a draw, while the attackers did not even see the ball. The few opportunities that came were flagrantly wasted by Osaze Odemwingie. Kanu was injured early in the game and failed to spark, though his touches were still noticeable.
The biggest disappointment of the day was Christian Obodo, who once again proved that he is over-rated by a section of the local media which calls him 'bundle of skills". He is a bundle of faulty passes, poor marksmanship, silly ball-holding, ill-advised methods, poor judgement, unconvincing tackles and amateurish reading of the game. He made Okocha's absence very glaring, and the failure of Paul Obiefule to click should send Coaches Christian Chukwu and Austin Eguavoen searching frantically for another attacking midfielder for the team.
With Julius Aghahowa, Oluwaseyi Olofinjana, John Utaka, Kazeem Ayila, Austin Okocha and Yakubu Aiyegbeni still out, the match against Angola will call into action all that Chukwu has learned in team management and improvisation, since being taken for a ride in his very first game by England-based stars - Nwankwo Kanu and Austin Okocha.
That game, in September 2002, also happened to be against Angola. But it was on away ground. Chukwu had travelled to London and was assured by the duo that they were coming to Luanda. Chukwu ended up with 15 players, two of them goalkeepers, and on match day, had to employ people in unaccustomed positions. But they still got a 0-0, and that stabilized the team's challenge for Tunisia 2004 Nations Cup qualification.
Okocha's failure to inform Coach Chukwu of his unwillingness to play in Kigali despite meeting personally with the coach four weeks before the game, is appalling and smacks at his captainship. The midfield magician might have had a busy year in the Premiership, but he didn't play in Europe (Chidi Odiah did, all the way!). He also must have felt a pang of guilt watching players like Didier Drogba (who played more matches for eventual champions, Chelsea and also played for Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League where they reached semi- finals) and Samuel Eto'O Fils (who played for Barcelona in La Liga triumph and in Europe) turn out for their country. Drogba was in action for Cote d'Ivoire in Libya and Eto'O played against Benin Republic in Cotonou.
Sunday Oliseh once criticized the attitude of defender, Celestine Babayaro to national calls. He suggested that Babayaro loved to wait to see other people qualify the Super Eagles for major tournaments, and then suddenly make himself available for selection. It is not an attitude that Okocha had, but he appears to be cultivating it now. Aiyegbeni, a lesser mortal by all standards, is towing the same line.
It can be recalled that Okocha failed to play in the two qualification games against Angola in the campaign for 2004 Nations Cup ticket. The Eagles sweated to qualify (remember that last game in Benin City against Angola on June 21, 2003?). In Tunisia, Okocha was the superstar, winning all the awards and generally turning out the generalissimo that everyone loves. If Nigeria qualify for Germany 2006 and Egypt 2006, Okocha would be given a royal welcome in both countries. He would be playing in his fifth Nations Cup finals (it would have been seventh if not for boycott of South Africa '96 and ban of Burkina '98) and in his fourth World Cup finals. Only few footballers can claim such credential in FIFA's 100 years of existence! Certainly, no African.
Next week's game would be tight, tough and almost unfamiliar. The Eagles have never played in Kano, and the atmosphere is bound to be intimidating for them. The environment will be unusual, almost like playing away from home (any difference between Kano and Kigali?) and the weather would be bad for players coming in from England at this time of year.
Angola have been tremendously motivated by the FIFA table, which puts them ahead of Nigeria. Yes, Angola are yet to play Nigeria in the return, but imagine that something happens now and the qualifiers have to be abandoned for one reason or the other, it would be Angola at the World Cup finals!
How many fans can the Sani Abacha Stadium contain? That question did not cross the minds of the pro-Sani Abacha lobby, as if all they wanted was to ensure some publicity for the departed goon who ruled this country like a personal fiefdom and stole as much as he could.
Angola's Palancas Negras have even been rated better than the Eagles. Hear the coach of Algeria, Ali Fergani, a contemporary of Chukwu: 'Angola is the strongest team in group four judging from the way they have been playing the qualifiers. They are a good side. If they continue playing like this, they will qualify for the World Cup and would be a good representative of Africa in Germany. Nigeria is very strong at the technical level but has been making a big effort to qualify for the World Cup".
Fergani was speaking after his team lost 2-1 to the Negras in Luanda on Sunday. The man played at the 1982 and 1986 World Cup finals and was in the Algerian team that succumbed 3-0 to Christian Chukwu's Eagles in the 1980 Nations Cup final. So, he's not a dunce with a brainwave.
Nigeria made heavy work of beating Algeria in Abuja, and made a heavier work of drawing with Rwanda in Kigali. We don't appear to know how to impose ourselves on a game playing away from home and fluff too many opportunities. It is dangerous to behave like this when contending with an organized and brilliant side like Angola.
They have goalkeeper Goliath and strikers Flavio, Fabrice Akwa and Pedro Mantorras. God help Nigeria in Kano on Saturday!