The round leather game popularly called football is one I love with a passion. My fraternity with it started a long time ago while I was in primary school, I remember waking up at 2am to watch the USA ’94 matches. My entire household knows I shutdown to all chores to watch Premiership matches on weekends. In the office, I automatically become one of the boys as we dissect and analyse every second of UEFA champions league matches on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, infact, I’m not sure I can date a guy who doesn’t watch/love the game!
In as much as our local league is painful to watch, I try to show a little solidarity every now and then. I have watched Nigerian matches for as long as I can remember and I can’t stop wondering why we never seem to get it right after all these years. The problem with our football is multidimensional, it is either our players are too proud or unperturbed to dedicate their God-given talent to a patriotic cause or the coaching crew are clueless as to what the winning formula should be. At other times, the NFA (now NFF) are too busy embezzling funds earmarked for the development of the game.
So much so that the corrupt practices at the ‘glass house’ recently earned us a ban by the world governing body FIFA. As if that wasn’t enough, our ‘most outstanding’ representative on the world stage flagrantly displayed the level of his moral decadence for all to see.
Over the weekend, FIFA president Sepp Blatter confirmed that Dr. Amos Adamu (FIFA’s executive committee member from Nigeria) and Tahitian Temarii (a member from the Oceania) had both offered/accepted to sell the vote when approached by reporters posing as lobbyists for an American consortium. This ‘transaction’ would have made Dr Adamu £500,000 richer. He was caught on tape and hence cannot deny being framed.
As I think about it, I can’t help but wonder
· Would this man ever be able to face the public with the same air of importance?
Why not, this is probably not his first time, even if he’s found guilty, he’ll be suspended and reinstated to continue from where he stopped after a few months. Now why can’t he be completed dismissed with a punishment like a life time ban from all sporting activities?
· How would his children feel especially when they have to face their friends?
They have probably been tutored to deny every bit of it as allegations or better still, since their category of friends are children of the high and mighty, a few of them have been there before so the words of encouragement would be ‘don’t worry, Nigerians forget things easily, tell your dad to use part of the money in settling members of the disciplinary committee”.
There are many more questions but would we ever get answers? Would our dear country ever win the World cup?
ASIDE
Congratulations to Peter Osaze Odemwingie, he has been in top form for West Bromich Albion of England since the transfer at the beginning of the season. Also, thumbs up to Vincent Enyeama for his dedication to both Nigeria and Hapoel Tel Aviv of Isreal. I'm still wondering why none of these two made the list for African Player of the Year.
1 comment:
Considering Enyeama's wahala in the past week, would you still say that? Or do you like me think there is more to it than meets the eye?
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