Contrary to the expectations of the usually overly optimistic Nigerian football followers, the national team made a disappointing early exit from the ongoing FIFA World Cup Finals in Russia, after the first round of matches. With two agonising defeats and a solitary win out of three group matches, it was a hugely underwhelming performance by the Super Eagles, whom many thought could advance beyond their traditional round of 16 stage of the competition.
It was a pedestrian performance that highlighted how much the country, and indeed the African continent, had been left behind by the rest of the world. In the opening match against Croatia, the Eagles conceded two avoidable goals, a penalty and an own goal. They however raised their game in the second half of the second match against Iceland after bizarrely finishing the first half without any shot at goal.
Their 2-0 victory over Iceland – courtesy of a yeoman service by Ahmed Musa – struck panic in the Argentine camp after the fading football world power had been humiliated 3-0 by Croatia. All Nigeria needed to book a place in the second round was a draw. But the Super Eagles could still not muster their forces to come up with the goods when it mattered most. The Eagles lost the match 2-1 with just four minutes to qualification if they had managed to keep the score line at 1-1. In summary, out of the possible nine points, the Eagles could only secure three, a haul too miserable to guarantee qualification.
Nigeria’s performance only headlined a very dismal display by all the five African teams at the Mundial, none of which could manage a place beyond the group stages. It was the worst outing by the continent in more than 30 years. While Asia, North and South America and, of course, dominant Europe, produced teams in the round of 16, Africa and Oceania were the only ones that had no representative at that level in Russia, which is very sad. With representation often based on performance, Africa will be lucky to continue to enjoy her World Cup slots in future competitions.
Maybe the optimists should not be so roundly condemned. Given the ease with which the Eagles qualified for the competition in a group featuring other African powerhouses, Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia, all previous African champions, it was thought that a team had emerged that would be the pride of the continent. The hope was further heightened with the grit and sense of duty exhibited by the team in some of their early friendly matches. Against their nemesis, Argentina, the Super Eagles came from two goals down to win 4-2, before downing Poland, Robert Lewandowski and all, 1-0.
Things however took a different turn in the run-up to the competition, when the team started losing matches. Against Serbia in March, the team lost 2-0. At a time when they were supposed to intensify their preparations by playing more high-level matches, the football authorities arranged a friendly with a Spanish football club, Atletico Madrid, in which mostly home-based players were used. The next match, against Congo, was also wasted as most of the World Cup-bound players were not on parade.
By the time the team played England and lost 2-1, it became obvious that they were not in World Cup shape. This was further confirmed with a 1-0 loss to Czech Republic, prompting the coach, Gernot Rohr, to confess, “We have nine days to be ready for our first match against Croatia; as of today, we are not ready.” When they took to the field, against Croatia, the Super Eagles could hardly string passes together; they lacked cohesion, evidence that they were short on preparation. The Eagles were losing balls easily, forcing them to be constantly defending. Goals are scored when a team is on the offensive, not defensive.
A noticeable presence in six of the last seven World Cup finals, the Super Eagles, credited with so much potential, have not been able to make it to the quarterfinals, a feat that had been achieved by Cameroon in Italy in 1990, Senegal in Japan in 2002 and Ghana in South Africa in 2010. So, after two stunning performances that saw them thrash Bulgaria 3-0 in USA ’94, and a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Spain in France ’98, the Eagles have not created for themselves a distinguished World Cup pedigree.
So far, they have reached the second round of the World Cup three times, in the United States in 1994, France in 1998, and Brazil in 2014; while dropping out after the group stages in Korea/Japan in 2002, South Africa in 2010 and Russia 2018. It is a sad story that raises questions about the kind of football development programme the Nigeria Football Federation has for the country.
At the local level, the standard has so remarkably fallen that Nigerian clubs can no longer compete with their counterparts from other African countries. It has become very difficult for Nigerian teams to qualify for the lucrative CAF Champions League, a competition won twice in the past by Enyimba FC of Aba. At the youth level, the culture of featuring overage players has robbed the country of the benefits of graduating the players to the full international level. Most times, when the so-called young players are expected to graduate into the senior teams, they are already over the hill.
The team may not have done so well in Russia, but it was not for lack of trying. This is a young team that has a lot of potential; it is a team that will be ripe, with good management, for Qatar 2022. The NFF has a duty to make the team ready, first by qualifying them to play in the Nations Cup, where team spirit will be developed. With Algeria also reportedly showing interest in Rohr, the NFF has to ensure that the coach stays and finishes the job that he has started.
