The game of football is a team sport.
In my generation, about 35 to 40 players make up a football club, from which about 35 players would be registered with the NFA for a particular football season. Every football club operates like a family. They train together, take their breakfast, lunch and dinner together, particularly during close camping. They travel in the same bus, crisscrossing the length and breadth of the country to honour league matches. They pray together, sing the same song on their way to match venues.
The camaraderie and friendship sometimes last forever.
Same thing applies to the national teams, the Flying Eagles and the Green Eagles. There was no organized female football at the time. Exceptional players are selected from the clubs strictly on merit to the national teams.
In the history of Nigerian football, since 1945 when organised football started in Nigeria, no thoroughbred ex-footballer has been offered a position of leadership in Nigeria Football, either by election or appointment.
Unfortunately, the system has thrown up, lately, particularly in the last 12 years, irrelevant persons as NFF President and board members, those who have no business being close to the business of football at all.
They have lorded over the NFF, embezzling and misappropriating funds for football development with impunity. They deny and short-change national team players of their entitlements, allowances and match bonuses. No transparency and accountability.
The discipline and rigorous training ex-footballers go through as professional players set and prepare them for leadership roles.
Our coaches at that time were like senior lecturers or professors in the University. They did not only develop us as players; they taught us morals. The likes of, just to mention a few, the late Coach Dan Anyiam, late Coach Adegboye Onigbinde, late Professor Eto Amechina, late Coach Godwin Etemike, late Coach Monday Sinclair, late Coach Chris Udemezue, late Coach Willy Bazuaye, late Coach Jassy Lad, late Coach Ebiron Dediare. May their souls continue to rest in peace.
Coaches Alabi Aissien, Emmanuel Okonkwo (Tetteh) and Paul Obire are still very much around. May God continue to preserve and strengthen them. You cannot pass through any of these coaches and remain the same.
A qualified ex-footballer, having passed through the rigorous training and rudiments of professional football, is the best candidate to fix Nigerian football at the moment.
An ex-footballer leadership of the NFF will put an end to corruption, prioritise players’ welfare, ensure top-notch football infrastructure, develop our domestic leagues and, also, having been a product of the league himself, knows exactly what to do.
These classes of Nigerian retired footballers are currently based home and abroad. A flurry of sponsorships would open for a new era under a credible leadership of an ex-footballer.
The campaign starts right now.
We can no longer watch from the sidelines for strangers in Nigerian football. They have nothing to offer and nothing to lose, but we that belong to the football family forever have everything to lose.
Let’s rally and line up behind one chosen candidate for the NFF Presidency and position others for the board, depending on the number of slots we have.
It’s time to assert ourselves to rescue Nigeria Football.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s intervention in the free fall of Nigerian football is specifically to give ex-players a chance.
By Prince Harrison Jalla
ChairmanAdvocacy for Nigeria Football Reform Initiative
