When prophets speak, the people fail to listen. Cries, Gnashing of teeth become the people’s lot.
When the prophets want the people to listen, Satan whom Chinua Achebe described in Arrow of God as the “Bringer of Evil”; blocks their ears, brings distorted distraction and then ultimate ruin.
When they wanted to sack coach Jose Peseiro, I cried, wailed like Bob Marley and the Wailers but sychophants blocked their eyes and senses.
With three coaches in 10 qualifiers, attacking football struck us; two strikes in quick succession (2022). The first time since 1986 and 1990. Playoffs came. No way!!!. Instead of motivating the players, the boys were owed, bringing about an infamous strike in Morocco.
They petitioned and when it was struck off, they are now appealing.
But my history tells me that the last time Nigeria qualified for a competition through petition was in 1992, when we complained that Congo (not DRC) fielded an ineligible player to beat them to the 1993 U20 AFCON.
CAF upheld the petition and we qualified. Congo did not appeal. People like Austin Okocha then used the opportunity of “Mauritius 93” to show the world what they can do. This world Sef!!!!
Now, instead of licking our wounds and planning like France which failed to qualify for the 1990.and 1994 Mundial, then came back strongly to win in 1998; we want to appeal. This is what is remaining of our football.
Now the main distraction has come – Senegal forfeiting the AFCON title to Morocco.
This is the mother of all distractions to our pitiable state now. Senegal and Morocco would be at this World Cup. Their ‘country–people” would hope, giggle, anticipate, pray and savour the eternal, unrivaled fervour of the Mundial.
It is a case of the settlement between a man and a woman on the matrimonial or boyfriend/ girlfriend bed. It is definitely not Nigeria’s problem or matter..As Fela would croon, “E no concern us“.
In 2006, the nation’s football supremo told us after an infamous technicality–Head to Head, cost us Germany 2006 Mundial: “That the World Cup is not our birthright” Nigerians agreed, bore the pain but also made him know that the “office is no one’s birthright”.
This is 2026, 20 years later. History can repeat in our favour, perhaps. a new person can fetch us the 2030 World Cup ticket as it happened in the next edition of the competition – the “Mother Africa” World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
There were no stories subsequently in 2014, and 2018 until we met this brick wall in 2022.
…Emeka, (Abedi Pele) be consoled and look up to God….
