Emmanuel Attah: Qatar 2022 disaster caused by over-reliance on foreign based players

A former Co-ordinator of the Super Eagles, Mr. Emmanuel Danjuma Attah, has said Nigeria’s over-dependence on foreign based players was what denied the country the ticket to Qatar 2022 World Cup. In this interview with Trust Sports, the former FCT FA Chairman and Director, General Services Department of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) said to forestall such disaster from happening again, home-based players must be included in the Super Eagles.

How disappointed are you that the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup?

It is a very big disappointment that Nigeria is not going to be part of the 2022 World Cup. If I was told that Ghana would end Super Eagles bid to be at the World Cup, I would have said it won’t be possible. The Black Stars are no longer what they used to be. Maybe we were deceived by their poor outing at the 2021 AFCON. After the 0-0 draw in Kumasi, I thought the Eagles would complete the job in Abuja to make Nigerians happy but that didn’t happen.

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Would you say the Super Eagles were confident enough against Ghana in Abuja?

From my experience in football and the years I served as the Coordinator of the Super Eagles, I can tell from players’ body language, if they are fired up or not. Before the match in Abuja, the players’ body language wasn’t encouraging. When the Eagles were coming out, I told someone seated close to me that I didn’t like the body language of the boys. The only player who looked confident and in buoyant spirit was Victor Osimhen and he showed that on the field. The rest played as if there was nothing at stake. They were completely lackadaisical in their approach. I don’t know what happened but I suspect a lot must have gone wrong before the match.

Do you agree with a former international, Garba Lawal, who said the biggest losers in the World Cup loss are the Super Eagles players?

I agree with him because some of the players don’t know what the World Cup is and what they have missed. The World Cup isn’t something you watch on the television. When you watch it on the tv, you won’t have the real feeling. It is when you are there physically as a player, official or spectator that you will understand what it is. It is an entirely different world. I am sorry to say that some of the players who have missed this opportunity to go to Qatar may not have another chance again. I pray God will grant some of them another opportunity. Apart from the money they have lost, their market value is also affected negatively.

Do you think the ‘Oyibo’ players were educated on the existing football rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana?

I am sure you are referring to those players who have switched allegiance from their adopted countries to Nigeria. I don’t think they were properly lectured. I believe if some of these players were told the history of the rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana, I am sure they would have died on that field to beat the Black Stars. This new generation of players must be given the right orientation. They must be made to understand that Nigeria can’t afford to lose some matches. It is not enough to convince players to come and play for Nigeria.

What would you say is the way forward?

The coaches have been asked to step aside but is that the solution? I don’t think so. We have to look inwards. We have to go back to the Late Clemence Westerhof and Late Stephen keshi era. There is the urgent need for us to develop our home based players. Until we do that, we will continue to suffer in the hands of foreign based players. Over-dependence on players abroad is what has denied us Qatar 2022 ticket. Most of these players are not committed because they don’t know much about this country. Keshi built his Super Eagles squad around home based players. Even foreign based players struggled to make the team. As a matter of fact, during the 2013 AFCON qualifiers, he executed 95% of his matches with mostly home based players. It was only the final qualifying match against Liberia that the foreign based players dominated. Interestingly, he went on to win the 2013 AFCON in South Africa.

Do you think the present NFF will have the patience for what Keshi was encouraged to do?

They should have a rethink because developing indigenous players takes time and patience. It also requires adequate funding from the football federation. You see, any coach who is not patient or is working under pressure will always jump at any kind of foreign based player. So I want to reiterate that we must build Super Eagles around home based players. Keshi was frustrated in his first few days with the local players but when he calmed down, he got the best from them. It was a local player, Sunday Mba who scored the goal that won the 2013 AFCON title for Nigeria.

But some Nigerians feel the home –based players usually fail to measure up when given opportunities…

I don’t think this is a fair assessment of the local players. You cannot bring together home based players for two or three days and expect them to win against Mexico or Paraguay. They must be given enough time to stay together and develop that understanding. It takes time, energy and resources to build a formidable team.

Would you say there are still quality players in the NPFL who can do better than foreign based Eagles?

Nobody can convince me that we no longer have top quality players in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). What we lack is the capacity to identify the players. We should select players based on merit. Such assignments should be handled by coaches who are sincere, incorruptible and patriotic and ready to do a thorough job. Don’t forget great players like Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amunike, Jay-Jay Okocha, Kanu Nwankwo, Garba Lawal and a host of others came out of the local league. At the last Super 4 in Abuja, I saw so many talented players who can play for the Super Eagles. I don’t want Nigerians to confuse the league management with players in the domestic. The two are not the same.

What is your take on the ongoing clamour by football fans for the NFF president and his board members to resign?

Football is like the opium of Nigerian masses. They don’t want to lose and when they are angry they can react in any way. Most of them are still struggling to put the loss behind them. They are not happy that their team is not going to be at the World Cup so they can call for anybody’s resignation. For some obvious reasons, I don’t wish to say more than this on the failure of the Super Eagles and the reactions from Nigerian football fans.

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