Lagerback Vs Amuneke
The former Super Eagles striker is in South Africa as one of the analysts for the Asian cable TV network, Al Jazeera. “It may be difficult to accept the fact, but I must tell you, Nigerian football has gone backward. We are not putting important attention to planning. Events are just unfolding and we falsely believe we are making progress”, said Amuneke. Continuing, the striker who scored Nigeria’s lone goal against Italy at the round of 16 in the 1994 World Cup, said the composition of the Super Eagles squad of today is largely based on names rather than current forms of the players.
He stated that the performance of the Super Eagles at the South Africa 2010 World Cup was simply a reflection of their current form. “You noticed how we struggled to even qualify. It was sheer luck. Things were not easy for the team. The signals had been there all along”, Amuneke said.
“Lars Lagerback based his selection on names of the players in Europe rather than the current forms of the players. Berti Vogts made a similar mistake when he handled the team two years ago. He even did the absurd by living in Germany while discarding the actual environment where he was supposed to be working.”
He stressed that the result of basing team selection on the big names was that most of the players were not in their best forms. Amuneke pointed at some of the players that did not give optimum performance. “Yakubu Aiyegbeni was not at his best. So also was Osaze Odemwingie”, he said. He further stated that rather than lamenting Nigeria’s poor performance, the NFF should start thinking of the way forward as the qualifying series for the 2012 Africa Nations Cup is just weeks away. Amuneke is urging the football authorities to look inwards by improving the standard of the domestic league as a springboard for the desired development of the national team.
He recalled that the bulk of the star players of the golden era of 1994 actually made names at home before blossoming into bigger stars abroad. “The NFF should look inwards and develop the stars at home before they are further polished abroad. The home-based players need help and encouragement. The standard of our domestic football must improve drastically instead of the NFF just thinking of going into competitions,” he insisted.
“We should also learn to build on the little successes we made. Look at the 1996 Olympic gold winning squad. What happened thereafter? Look at the 1994 Africa Nations Cup winning side and the World Cup team. What happened after? What happened to the youth sides that made impacts at the junior competitions? They were just left to rot”.
Amuneke pointed to Ghana as a nation that is making advancement in every sphere. Said he: “See how they have been able to integrate their youth sides with the experienced players. They are now at the verge of getting to the semi-finals of the World Cup. We should learn from them”.
Speaking on the 2010 FIFA World Cup generally, Amuneke said it has been one full of shocks and surprises, stressing that nothing could have better described the South Africa 2010 which field has now been narrowed to eight. To illustrate the element of surprises, the former African Footballer of the Year pointed at the way Slovakia eliminated defending champions, Italy. He wondered: “See how France, runners-up in the last edition as well as former champions were humiliated and bundled out in the first round.”
He also pointed at the massacre of England by Germany to illustrate the changing face of the World Cup and the unfolding shift of power in football. “The South Americans have been the most successful so far as most of the teams are still in contention,” he remarked.
In contrast, five of the six African teams were bundled out in the first round. “I am worried seeing that happen when one had expected that with every passing edition of the World Cup, improved performance of the African teams will always happen,” he regretted.
It was actually the resurgence of African teams that saw a gradual increase in the allotted quota from one in the 1970s to two in the 1980s and three in 1994 and 1998 to five in 2006 and a record six in the current edition. With the dismal performances, it may not be easy for anyone to push for further increase. Rather, the Asians may be the favoured confederation for increased quota, while Africa which quota is actually five (South Africa got the sixth slot as hosts), may get a cut.
“I will expect Ghana to still do better so that the continent’s claim to higher quota will be sustained”, said Amuneke.
KUNLE SOLAJA, The Spectator
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