The media in Nigeria are in the centre of the storm in the deplorable state of Nigeria football as they have been accused of being in bed with “soldiers of fortune” of the football fraternity, IKENWA NNABUOGOR investigates…
Never in history has Nigeria football found itself in such terrible situation as we have now so much so we have diminished the crucial unifying role the beautiful game has played in this country.
The tension of political, social and tribal imbalances that has threatened to tear the most populous black nation apart appears to be heightened by the disappointing and disjointed state of the national sport.
The Super Eagles sadly ended 2020 with a terrible record sheet – losing a game and disappointingly drawing three, including the infamous 4-4 draw at home with Sierra Leone in an AFCON qualifier that put a huge question on the competence of the Franco-German coach Gernot Rohr.
Calls for his resignation may have been doused by the leadership of the football authorities, which maintained that Rohr has a contract and he is not about to leave his post very soon.
This declaration drew a nationwide debate among football watchers as to why one-time fourth best football nation in the world would keep Rohr, whose report card condemns him as the worst coach in recent times.
The media in Nigeria have been roundly accused for not lending their voice in the fight to salvage whatever is left of Nigeria football that has failed to add any silverware to the cabinet since 2015, when Golden Eaglets were crowned U17 World Cup champions for a record fifth time.
One of such vocal voices is former Super Eagles defender Emeka Ezeugo, who has directed the most blame on the table of the media practitioners for hobnobbing, according to him, with the plunderers of the national football commonwealth in Nigeria.
‘Destroyer’, who was the member of the all-conquering USA ‘94 World Cup team, maintained that some journalists would stop at nothing to maintain their relationships with the “soldiers of fortunes” who are reaping where they did not sow to hang on to “crumbs from the table they receive from their NFF cronies”
Ezeugo has continued to decry the sorry state of Nigeria football and openly attacked the country’s top officials for plundering the coffers to now leaving it in a most pitiable state.
Now the questions remain – what is the role of the media in the present state of the country’s No 1 sport?
Has the media fought the elements fingered in the corruption cases ripping football in Nigeria apart?
Is the media actually in bed with the people directly and indirectly involved in the sorry state of the game?
Has the media called for the resignation of people involved in the current state of Nigerian football?
Is the media raising alarm on the politics and politicking among government officials and governors currently going on in Nigeria football?
Investigations have revealed that Ezeugo’s accusations may not be entirely total among the media, but in truth, the media must have to do a lot more to save our football from the doldrums it has sadly found itself.
It must be acknowledged that some voices in the media have cried out and alarmed the world on the corruptions with documented evidences going on in the apex football body.
Ezeugo who also attacked his fellow ex-internationals for being part of the sorry state of the sport in Nigeria, opined that the fight to crush all elements killing Nigeria football must be total, not sectional or selfish.
In truth, the media have a great role to play as one of their major duties is to be the watch dog of the society.
Anything short of this, notwithstanding other circumstances, has completely validated Ezeugo’s accusations and posterity will continue to keep the records no matter how long it takes.
