The World Cup Season
Finally, the whole world is on a countdown to the biggest sporting event on earth, which is football World Cup 2010, right here on the continent of Africa and precisely in South Africa.
The process of getting the hosting right was not easy. It was vigorously contested by some other African countries including Nigeria but in the end, South Africa emerged victorious. Nevertheless, the South Africans and indeed the whole continent owe Mr Sepp Blatter a great deal of gratitude because it was his goodwill that made Africa, earn the hosting right.
Today, South Africa is ready for the World Cup. Billions of dollars have been spent on the construction of new stadia; renovation of old ones and provision of other ancillary facilities like hotels, training pitches etc.
When South Africa was engulfed in the flames of xenophobic crisis, many thought that the Federation of International Football (FIFA), will because of that, cede the hosting right to another country but that never happened; instead, FIFA reiterated its confidence in the ability of the South Africans to host a successful World Cup.
In a matter of days, the biggest soccer event in the world will kickoff and I am proud, as an African that so far, South Africa, has not let us down. It has been like a fairy tale yet I have to caution that the tasks ahead are daunting.
It is one thing to get the facilities ready and still another thing to host the World Cup successfully. There will be logistics, security and even social challenges. What efforts are being made to curb the interminable shooting, killing, carjacking, raping of little girls and women, drug problems etc?
I know that there will be no power outage. Unlike Nigeria, South Africa has sufficient megawatts of electricity but I repeat, there will be security and logistics problems so the authorities must prepare to rise to the occasion.
I learned that Zimbabwe's sex workers are deserting their country in droves for pastures new in South Africa as the World Cup draws near and this is sustained by the economic promise offered by the arrival of some 500,000 World Cup foreign fans. Truly, it is a stroke of fortune (for the harlots) fraught with danger.
On the home front, Nigeria like all the participating nations has been preparing for this great sporting event. First, it was Shuaibu Amodu, the former coach of the Super Eagles that was demoted and the Swedish Lars Lagerback was hired "in the nick of time" to replace him.
Much has been written and spoken about the Swedish tactician. Some have set World Cup targets for him; many believe that he will excel and possibly win the trophy with a team that is ill-prepared. Well, there is nothing wrong in dreaming.
However, Lagerback's eventual 23 players whom are not the best legs for Nigeria enrage me. Many of them are unfit yet they were included and I do suspect foul play.
The Super Eagles have not blended and just recently, the team assembled in Abuja with the plan of moving to Europe for some last-minute serious training but this was not until after the Good luck buffet.
Now the question is how many in the Lagerback's team (which comprises of mainly foreign-based players) command first team shirt in their various clubs? How many are playing real competitive football like Argentinean Lionel Messi of Barcelona FC and Diego Milito of conquering Inter Milan FC? A player like Yakubu Aiyegbeni who has been an underperformer should not have any business playing for the Super Eagles.
Why was Eneramo dropped? It is just Amodu's team and this raises the question, why is it that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), could not fire Amodu even before the commencement of the last Africa Cup of Nations so that the new coach can have enough time to build his team?
Lagerback has stated that Nigerians should hold him responsible for anything that happens in terms of the performance of the team but I pity him because the impatient Nigerian football fans will lynch him should the Super Eagles fail. It is obvious he did not receive some tutoring from the "experienced" Berti Vogts.
Nevertheless, I wish the Super Eagles a huge success in this year's "African Mundial" so to speak. Do you know what, they can still wobble to the final stage or did I hear somebody say, you are a dreamer? No, I am not a dreamer but a devoted optimist. We can still win the World Cup with injury-stricken Mikel Obi, inconsistent Obafemi Martins, ageing but experienced Kanu Nwankwo, floundering Joseph Yobo etc; after all, injured Amuneke scored against Argentina at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and remember Nigerians "will never say die."
Then this; the world's biggest football, is now a Nigerian. Do not tell me that you have not heard about that. It is in Nigeria courtesy of the telecommunications giant MTN. Already this football is in the Guinness World Records. Austin Okocha, you know him, Nigeria's erstwhile midfield maestro and others have autographed it. This is all part of the World Cup fever in a World Cup season. That reminds me, why was Okocha not invited to join the Super Eagles for the World Cup? At least he has the dribbling experience and the requisite skill. I know he is retired but not tired. The legendary Roger Milla came out of retirement to play for Cameroon, remember.
In Imo State, 27 lucky youths from the 27 Local Government Areas of the state were selected through a lottery to benefit from the State government-sponsored World Cup largesse. It is an all-expenses-paid trip to South Africa, which will gulp millions of naira and part of the World Cup fever.
But after the World Cup, what is the next plan for the 27 youths? Will they disappear from there or return to Nigeria? What if they are unemployed; will they fit well into the society again after seeing, feeling and tasting such unbridled opulence?
Does the government or corporate bodies do such sponsorships? The millions of naira that will be spent on this meaningless excursion, which will not attract any economic gain to Imo State, would have been used to establish small-scale enterprises like bakeries, soap/cream industries etc to empower a greater number of the youths.
I think it is a wrong policy and a bad way to spend public money.
Let us not forget that in this World Cup season, Nigeria has lost over one hundred thousand dollars as fine paid to the owners of Hampshire Hotel which was initially chosen for the Super Eagles by the NFF and later rejected when it was discovered that it is substandard, mosquito infested and unsuitable for the National team.
This situation would have been avoided if the Nigerian authorities had accepted the offer by the Management of Protea Waterfront Hotel at Richards Bay that the Super Eagles should use their hotel free. I hope that Nigeria will not make more wrong decisions as the World Cup fever intensifies.
In this World Cup season, I want to congratulate the Special One, Jose Mourinho, for winning a treble with his Inter Milan football club. In fact, they subdued the once powerful Bayern Munich (2-0), at Bernabeu (thanks to Diego Milito), to achieve that incredible feat after winning the Italian Serie A' title and the Italian Cup.
I wish Nigeria's Mikel Obi did have the foresight; now, he would have been a Champions League winner if he had hearkened to Mourinho who invited him to Inter Milan. Samuel Eto'o, the wise one, took up the invitation and presently, he has won the UEFA Champions League trophy for the second time.
I want to also congratulate the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for lifting the ban on Togo in this World Cup season. Nonetheless, will Emmanuel Adebayor, the Nigerian born Togolese player, rescind his decision to retire from international football? This happened in the wake of the ban following Togo's decision to withdraw from the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, which was held in Angola, after the attack on the bus carrying their National team by the Cabinda rebels.
Indeed, it is a World Cup season and everybody is gripped by the fever, some may think it is malaria or typhoid, no; it is the World Cup fever of excitement, thrills and frills, yet it is feverish anyway. Have you gone down with it now?
The World Cup Season
By: BENEDICT AHANONU
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