Last week Friday was another difficult day in the life of the present leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) because the man they had happily announced as the new coach of the Super Eagles decided to say he was no longer interested in coaching the Nigerian National team.
Expectedly, the unexpected U-turn by Bruno Labbadia caused the NFF so much headache as the federation became a butt of jokes. Most of the NFF critics said they were not surprised by the turn of events because nothing good could come out of the present football federation. In fact, many blamed the NFF for making the announcement when it had not completely sealed the deal.
To douse the tension, the NFF tried to exonerate itself from blame as it said the German stringent tax laws were responsible for the failed contract. According to the NFF, it had actually done due diligence, but that aspect of the tax law in Germany was insurmountable.
However, the reason for the embarrassment didn’t completely pacify most of the critics of the NFF as they insisted that the football governing body had again brought shame to the country’s football fraternity.
The Labbadia debacle didn’t affect only the NFF. I was also a victim because the unexpected turn of events made a mess of my weekly column, the Sporting Verdict. All journalists work with deadlines, so I had turned in my article, which was at a point of no return when the sad news broke. So, by the time my article, which focused on why the German was going to fail with the Super Eagles, was published, Labbadia was no longer the coach of Nigeria.
Therefore, I can painfully announce that the NFF and coach Labbadia combined to make my article a beautiful nonsense at the time it came out. So, while the NFF was fighting to ward off the barrage of criticisms over the botched deal with Labbadia, I was busy nursing my emotional wounds inside my cubicle.
Well, as the Super Eagles prepare to play the Cheetahs of Benin Republic this evening in Uyo, Nigerians are still jeering at the NFF over its failure to hire a substantive coach for the team. Since there was no time to hire a foreign coach again, the ever- present ‘vacuum doctor’, Austin Eguavoen, is the one to lead the team in the two AFCON qualifiers.
The choice of Eguavoen, who is serving in acting capacity, is another topical issue among Nigerian football fans who feel the NFF should have handed the responsibility to another indigenous coach. Most Nigerians feel the former international’s technical ineptitude was responsible for the failure of the Super Eagles to qualify for the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Anyway, even as I am not happy with the haphazard and lackluster manner that the NFF searched for Finidi George’s replacement, it is necessary to state that the football governing body is not solely responsible for the failure to get a new expatriate coach for the national team.
Those of us who are conversant with the way the NFF operates can attest to the fact that it is not operating as an independent body. Therefore, most of its actions are teleguided by the federal government through its ministry of sports.
It is for this same reason that most times, the Minister of Sports finds it so easy to overrule the NFF. And sometimes, the federation itself hands over its responsibilities to the Ministry of Sports even without coercion.
For instance, in other climes, the Football Association (FA) does not take instructions from the sports ministry when it wants to hire a coach. However, the reverse is the case in Nigeria, where the government decides the colour or quality of the coach to be employed by the NFF.
I remember vividly how a former minister of sports overruled the federation when it appointed Tom Saintfiet as its technical director. The then Minister insisted that the position must be manned by a Nigerian. That was how the present interim coach of the Super Eagles, Eguavon, became the technical director of the NFF.
Even in the latest effort to hire a coach for the Super Eagles, the federation was given stern instruction by the Sports Minister that it must be an indigenous coach. It is said the Minister went further to pick his preferred candidate, which many believe was Emmanuel Amuneke.
However, the NFF preferred Finidi to the winner of the 2015 FIFA U-17 championship. It was the catastrophic fall of boy George that compelled the NFF to go in search of another coach.
One may wonder why the NFF takes instructions from the Sports Ministry even as it is expected to be independent. The truth of the matter is that the NFF still depends heavily on the government for funding.
Even in the days of Amaju Pinnick, who boasted that the federation was 99.9% self-funding, the NFF kept running to the government for financial support. The NFF has never shown financial independence.
So, those who feel pained that the ministry is exerting undue influence or interfering in the affairs of the NFF should remember that he who pays the piper dictates the tune.
Apart from the government, there are also so many other interests that come to play when hiring a foreign coach for the Super Eagles. The pressure most times comes from football agents, top government officials, politicians, and other self-serving stakeholders who try to seize the opportunity to make a fortune for themselves. In such circumstances, the NFF is not wholly in charge of proceedings.
Therefore, when it was reported that Labbadia had said that some government officials and top politicians wanted a reasonable chunk of his monthly salary, I wasn’t surprised. Moreover, there can’t be smoke without fire. Such corrupt practices are common in Nigeria.
So, in view of all these, one is compelled to plead with the vocal critics of the NFF to temper justice with mercy. The football federation may be facing some hidden obstacles in its bid to hire a good coach for the Super Eagles.
However, the NFF too should strive for true financial independence because it is the surest way to escape from unnecessary interference in its affairs by those it runs to perpetually for help.
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