Before I delve into the main topic of the day, I must first commend the performance of Team Nigeria at the just concluded African Games in Accra, Ghana. Although the Pharaohs have again demonstrated their invincibility, Team Nigeria still gave them a good run for their money. What is left now is for us to return to the drawing board to come up with a strategy to halt the winning streak of the Egyptians.
But before we go back to the drawing board, it is necessary to add that there is nothing supernatural about the performance of the Egyptians. They are simply more committed and well-organised. Surely, there is no room for a fire brigade approach in their preparation for the games. Secondly, most of the well-known football clubs in North Africa like Zamalek, Esperance, Al Ahly, Wydad Casablanca, and a host of others, have handball, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, basketball, swimming, judo, boxing and other sports clubs. These clubs help in developing athletes who go on to represent the countries at international competitions. Maybe Nigerian professional football clubs can take a cue from the North African clubs.
So, if we are to give Egypt a better fight at the next games, our preparation for the 2027 African Games must begin immediately. We don’t have to cling tightly to the fire-bridge approach that has continued to fail us. Going by the record of the African Games, Nigeria is next to Egypt on the all-time medals table. We should be tired of playing second fiddle to Egypt. There is no better time than now for Nigeria to win another African Games crown. This is because by accident or divine providence, a new generation of athletes has emerged and the future is beginning to look so bright.
It is interesting to note that at the moment, most of our athletes are being groomed in the USA which is one of the powerhouses in world athletics. As a matter of fact, not a few of such young Nigerians flew in from the USA to win medals for Nigeria at the just concluded African Games. Therefore, there are indications that very soon, Team Nigeria will demystify the Egyptians. But it has to be done by conscientious planning. It can’t be achieved accidentally.
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So, back to the main issue at stake, I am still not happy with the kind of shambolic performance the Falconets put up in the final of the football event against the Black Princess of Ghana. Although I closed late from work, I still met a few minutes of the regulation time of the gold medal match. Unfortunately, what I saw from the two finalists was disgusting. It was hard to believe that the players representing Ghana and Nigeria were the best among those that competed in the female football at the games. Both teams exhibited what was below kindergarten football. It was at best a session of kick and follow.
I had heard how the Falconets walloped their opponents so I expected a better performance from them. Unfortunately, they were not better than their opponents. They showed no coordination and purpose on the pitch and when I began to wonder whether they were sheep without a shepherd, I saw Coach Chris Danjuma on the touchline. He didn’t stand to correct his players’ mistakes but complained to the reserve referee about time.
Yes, he had to do so because the Ghana Princess were simply falling down, one after another, to kill the remaining time since they had taken the lead in the extra-time of the sleep-inducing match. In the end, Nigeria surrendered the gold medal to Ghana.
I must repeat that it was a show of shame because even as the Falconets played badly, the situation was made worse by Ghana’s use of the win-by-all-means approach.
Going by the desperation exhibited by the host nation, even if the Falconets were at their best, they would have met a brick wall. For the Ghanaians, it was the gold medal or nothing. As a matter of fact, the spirit with which the host team played the match flouted the spirit behind the African Games. Honestly, it was shocking that despite the serious time wasting antics employed by the Princess, it appeared the referee decided to look elsewhere. Although the referee is said to be the final judge of time in a match, the time she added at the end extra-time didn’t reflect the lengthy period that was spent on the treatment of the Ghanaian goalkeeper and some of her mischievous teammates who continued to go down as if they were struck by an evil spirit.
It has become necessary to condemn the shameful behaviour of the Ghanaian ladies because they completely jettisoned fairness to win by all means. As a matter of fact, these are some of the reasons Africa is still struggling to cope with the rest of the world at FIFA organised competitions. As I watched the comedy called African Games female football final, I wondered how any of the two teams would fare against a team in Europe. Female football is now exciting in all ramifications so I was left completely disappointed by what my eyes saw that night. Female football has gone beyond kick-and-follow or ‘anywhere wey belle face’.
Well, immediately after the comical match, I spoke to a few people to find out if that was the same team that will represent Nigeria at the next FIFA U-20 World Cup in Cambodia. I was assured that the Falconets at the African games are not the same players who will go to the World Cup. That was soothing and reassuring but I still insisted that a player like Adoo Yila, one of the most influential players in the Falconets, was part of the team that played in Ghana. I can’t remember exactly the reason my friend gave for my sister’s unsatisfactory performance in the final.
However, I am happy that even the players themselves know that they disappointed their teeming fans. Immediately after the match, some of them showed remorse as they took to their social media handles to apologise to Nigerians. I salute their courage but they must know that there is hardly a second chance for a first impression. Going by what many of us saw, it will take a lot for them to convince us that they deserve to represent Nigeria at a higher level.
Hoping that the Falconets only had a bad day, let’s give some of them a chance to make amends. But Coach Danjuma must inject new players into the team. Although I was told most of the Falconets’ key players were excluded from the squad for the African games, it is doubtful if those left behind are far better than those that we saw in Ghana. I believe there are better players out there who can come in and make a difference. The Falconets some of us watched in the final are too poor to remain in the Team. Female football has made appreciable progress, so nobody should take us back to the days of ‘jam body’ and ridiculous miskicks.
