Editor’s note: This piece was written before the sack of Siasia.

IT is called NFF. Or perhaps better put, it calls itself NFF – Nigerian Football Federation – its now well known common name after it reformed from  the NFA –  the Nigerian Football Association of yore, so to speak now, and as the NFF would wish us to understand it despite the sharing of one Faith and indisputable body of Rules and Policies common to them both; and that is of course if the NFA is truly still breathing. And if the NFA is no more respiring it means that the NFF did not reform from the former, but against it; the NFF reformed against the NFA and thus there can’t be anything wholesomely common between them.

The NFA as we knew it was an association of football administrators of like minds dedicated in their duty and commitment to improving and lifting the game of football to the summit in our football-loving land of Nigeria. Despite their genuine flaws, as expected, because they are human beings like us all, the erstwhile NFA members of different generations and of diverse ethnical groups, were united in mind, body and purpose to give the best they possibly could give to Nigerian football.

Once upon a time – if we must cast our minds back to some more than twenty or so years ago – our team the Green Eagles (not the Red Devils, to those who can excavate their memories beyond my imposed time-frame) comprised of players who were readily among the best and the very best, if not the very, very best, we could find. It didn’t really matter then if all the players came from one geographical zone of our country. Of course, then our players were basically amateurs whose dedication and commitment to the game and the country they represented time and again were inspiringly patriotic, and patriotically unquestionable. They played the game with their hearts and their devotion could be likened, without exaggeration, to the devotion devotees of gods give to their gods.

I remember the glorious days and fabulous years of the Albert Onyeawunas, Chukwumas, Onyeadors, Azinges, Opones, Okwudilis, Sam Garba Okoyes, Peter Aniekes, Teslim Baloguns, Dejo Fayemis, John Egbuonus, Eto Amaechinas, Dan Anyiams, Oduahs, Macauley Otires, Alabi Aissiens, Inua Rigogos, Ewerebors, Abu Malayas, Tsekes, Jossy Dombrayes and many, many others of different generations and ages who wore the green-white-green of Nigeria solely and purely on merit, which resulted from their soccer prowess. These names (and others immediately beyond my excavating memory) resonated in the true meaning of the term in the consciousness of every football lover in those dangle-berry days and yeasty years of my childhood/boyhood when everyone of us urban urchins yearned to “tap leather” and watch football games and competitions in our various stadiums across the length and breadth of lovely Nigeria that our new politicians are turning into loveless Nigeria. (And how we longed to tap leather one day in LIBERTY STADIUM of  AWO!)  Certainly, the technical crew of the respective Green Eagles were appointed primarily on the basis of their sound and deep knowledge of the game,  football experience and professional and personal discipline, not on account of their ethnical affiliation and political muscle.

The NFF as it is presently constituted – and in fact as it has been constituted since its name reform – cannot be said to have as members the best men Nigeria can boast of in football administration. Ethnical, political and other nebulous considerations inform, influence and inspire the selection and appointment of the majority of them, as is the case in other appointments in especially present-day Nigeria Jehu is arriving soon to change for our everlasting good. Who doesn’t know that in this country you rarely can get any position on merit, no matter how good you are, unless you know somebody,  or unless you belong to this and that association or group, or unless you are from this  or that ethnical region, or, or, or… just conjure it up…?  In the modus operandi and modus vivendi of the NFF we can discern what is not short of the general Nigerian attitude and malaise. Do you query this perspicuous perspective? If you do, I will question thus: How do you, for instance,  respond  to the NFF’s unusual delay in axing Samson Siasia after failing to wing our Super Eagles to Gabon and Equatorial Guinea for the next African Cup of Nations? Agreed, as argued here in the previous two installments, there was a spiritual dimension to Siassia’s failure, but the man is too technical loose, too technically deficient for the Super Eagles’ work despite his  “success” and “achievement” in age-grade competitions. In any case, as several persons have rightly pointed out, and as the NFF people know too well, Siasia’s  contract terminated when he failed to beat the Syli Stars even with a slim margin in the crucial match played in his territory. In fact, his signed contract for the Super Eagles’ post clearly indicates, we are told, that the minimum expected of him was a semi-final place in the next African Cup of Nations’ soccer fiesta. Siasia could not even hover to the group qualification stage, yet the NFF, against its own expectation as per its contract with Siasia, acted puzzlingly. And several observers have noted that to act against Siasia would mean that the NFF would be acting against President Jonathan who shares the same geographical region and ethnical affiliation with the coach whose contract is as good and as elastic as his last crucial match. (Is coach James Peters there, by the way? I feel you.)Although the NFF chairperson, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, has since denied the claim, he in no way gave In and Out the impression that there was a valid reason for the delay in action – positive or negative – against Siasia. The neither here nor there vacillating state of  Maigari and company calls to question their honour as our football administrators. This is nauseating, to say the least. In any case, there is the reason to believe now that  Samson Siasia was appointed  ab initio the coach of the Super Eagles because of his ethnical connection and geographical link with Lord Jonathan. To put this another way, Siasia was perhaps not the better of the two candidates who were interviewed for the post. Ethnical, geographical and political considerations must have won him the post. Quite nauseating! And despite every claim to the contrary, the NFF was curbing and checking itself on the Siasia imbroglio, so to speak, because the chairperson and his fellow members needed necessary presidential clearance to act one way or the other, even against their own defined sense of propriety.

The Siasia example also illustrates that the NFF is clearly a microcosm of Nigeria. How? We shall answer this with a glance at Eucharia Uche’s case similar to Siasia’s. Uche coached the Super Falcons that similarly failed to proceed to the final group stage of a major competition: the Olympics, which London is going to host next year. Uche, reportedly, was yet to sign a contract with the NFF. She believes and has faith in her ability to serve Nigeria brilliantly with or without signing a contract. She, in my honest opinion, is a lady of greatly pleasing honour. She is not naïve, as Daniel Amokachi, “the bull,” wrongly said of her, by not signing any contract with the NFF before embarking on the Super Falcons adventure  (which turned out to be a misadventure). The blame must go to the NFF that omitted or deliberately stalled or failed to treat her with honour and dignity - presumably because she is not from Bayelsa where Lord Jonathan hails from? Follow the picture clearly, and you may be persuaded to argue that perhaps because our football house is a Federation, no more ‘microscosmic’ establishment exists in Nigeria than the NFF whose every act seems to be so nauseatingly ethnically coloured and politically garmented. (Of course, this indicates one reason why it has many court cases to contend with in its short span rather than running our football as it should.) Perhaps its real appellation is Nauseating Football Federation (of Nigeria). Its quarrels with those outside its tiny circle and fold, and who mean well for our football, are becoming legendary. They are Siasiaque. For me, it would mean nothing any more whether they axe Siasia now or never.

And by the way, what blue-print for the progress of Nigerian football has emanated from that nauseating place since the current members became mightily important administrators of our football? And which good advice from the public have they accommodated without any political thought and consideration coming to interfere with it? They nauseate me. Seriously. With men like these running our football, instead of administering it, our football-wishes as we wish them will never be fulfilled. Mark my words. Seriously.

Yes. What do you think?

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