"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."-Nelson Mandela
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| MILAN'S MAN: TAYE TAIWO |
The European transfer market expectedly has been busy with players swapping shirts and the clubs on spending sprees to fortify their forts ahead of the 2011/ 2012 football calendar.
Ins and outs have been so intriguing that British Prime Minister, David Cameron even weighed in the transfer saga of Cesc Fabregas, calling on the lad to stay at trophy-less Arsenal rather than making the big money move to all-conquering Barcelona.
At the Street League football - an organization that helps disadvantaged children by organizing leagues and education programmes - event on 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, Cameroon displayed the passion that makes Britons refer to football as the ‘beautiful game’ as he reportedly said: “We’re now going to see Cesc Fabregas – one Spanish tourist who I hope isn’t returning to Spain.”
Interest in a particular player cannot be bigger than that, but we are still watching whether a Nigerian player would command such a huge attention as did the like of Alexis Sanchez who moved from Udinese to Barcelona for £27million, as well as Sergio Aguero for a staggering £38million from Atletico Madrid to Manchester City.
With the exception of the transfers of Taye Taiwo from Olympique Marseille to AC Milan and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama from Hapoel Tel Aviv to Lille in the French league, interest in Nigerian players on the European transfer market is nothing to write home about.
Time was when the transfer buzz was not complete without a high profile move for our likeable Super Eagles’ stars but that has become an exception than a rule today. It is, therefore a huge shame that the mainstream European leagues are no longer their oysters rather than problematic Russia!
Today, Russia is bad news to coloured players and African players are not exempted. Yet it has suddenly become the destination of choice for Super Eagles players. It makes one wonder: Is this not a classical case of committing Russian roulette given the fact that more and more players are ready to quit the European enclave due to widespread racism.
Russia was controversially awarded the 2018 World Cup by FIFA recently but that has not stemmed the tide of racism against black players and it beats the imagination that Nigerian players are still heading towards the Russian mire.
This was the same country in which Peter Osaze Odemwingie was insulted after he moved from Lokomotiv Moscow to West Bromwich Albion in England when local fans reportedly unfurled a banner showing a banana directed at the Nigerian striker.
Though Russian officials claimed the racist banner was just a general discontent at the striker and wasn't a reference to his skin colour, we don’t have to wait too long before they displayed their appalling act yet again.
Weeks back, Roberto Carlos suffered similar fate when the Brazilian legend that now plays for Anzhi Makhachkala, was taunted by supporters with a banana thrown from the crowd during a league match against Krylya Sovetov.
He said: “I'm outraged by the sickening behaviour of this fan, who, in fact, insulted not only me but all the players. I hope the Russian federation, UEFA and FIFA will give an adequate evaluation to this disgusting incident.”
Most recently, Ghanaian midfielder, Haminu Dramani (who has also suffered racist remarks at Lokomotiv Moscow), made a clarion call by warning African players not to step on the Russian soil due to the scourge of racism.
“I am leaving for Ghana and I will not return to Russia because I want opportunities in other countries in the top leagues of Europe,” an exasperated Dramani reportedly said. “I have had some good friends here and but things have not been smooth. Regardless of that I am thankful for the opportunity to serve Lokomotiv Moscow and the other clubs I played for in Russia.”
So why is a player of Obinna Nsofor’s status moving to Lokomotiv Moscow at this time? Could it be the desperation to play after his career suffered so much at West Ham where he went on loan from Inter Milan? Could it because of money or what?
Agreed Obinna needs to play regular football to justify his inclusion for national assignments, but moving over to problematic Russia is never going to be an ideal choice. A player can only enjoy his game in a peaceful environment and what is the guarantee that Lokomotiv fans would put on their best behaviour henceforth after repeated warnings by FIFA?
The last time Obafemi Akinwunmi Martins left Wolfsburg for Rubin Kazan in Russia, I lamented here that no matter how much he was going to earn, it’s just a disservice to his career.
Within the twinkle of an eye, Obagol was back to England on a 6-month loan with Birmingham City where he would score the goal of his life - the winner in the 1-0 defeat of Arsenal in the Carling Cup - which secured Blues’ first trophy in 48 years!
One would recall the interest generated around the world by Martins’ solitary stellar performance for Birmingham and it is doubtful if he would have gotten the same attention if he had done same with Rubin Kazan. Yet, Martins has since gone back to Rubin Kazan following the relegation of Birmingham City at the end of last season to first tend his injury before returning to action.
Not far away is the transfer of Brown Ideye from Sochaux to Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine to join Yusuf Ayila and Haruna Lukman. Why should virile Nigerian players be heading for Eastern Europe if not for the fact that they are no longer good for the big leagues?
The argument has always been that some of the Super Eagles have passed their best years but for the hype from the local media. I remember a late evening discussion with former Nigerian international, Dr. Felix Owolabi at the foyer of Shiroro Hotel in Minna in 2009, where he argued that the media should partly be held responsible for the decadence in Nigerian football.
His argument was that our foreign-based players are over-celebrated by the media even ‘when many of them are starring for modest clubs in Europe.’
Of course, Owolabi may be right, but what do we do than celebrate our ‘second best’ in Europe? Think it’s about time our players themselves differentiate between a career-threatening and a career-constructive transfer. Black players heading towards the tempest region such as Russia and Ukraine should blame themselves for any untoward incident.
Pele’s way, the right way!
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| PROUDLY GHANA: FC NANIA |
At a time his Nigerian counterparts are begging for a role in the administration of the beautiful game, Abedi Pele Ayew, Ghana’s legendary player and three-time African Footballer of the Year winner, offered way of living life in retirement with panache.
Last weekend, his pet club, Nania Football Club remarkably won Ghana’s FA Cup at the expense of the country’s illustrious team, Kumasi Asante Kotoko
For any keen observer of the game, this is not a mean feat, given the fact that Pele practically built this club from the scratch upon his retirement from the game in the late 1997. Rather than whinge over the maladministration of the game in his native Ghana (which has been the exclusive preserve of many Nigeria’s retired footballers today), Pele simply put his money where his mouth is by establishing a football club which today has earned the admiration of all.
Just recently, we were celebrating with Abedi Pele after his children Jordan and Andre began playing together for the first time for his old club, Olympique Marseille. But to all intents and purposes, the feat achieved by Nania, a club in the second-tier of Ghanaian domestic league calls for bigger celebration.
Pele has always been a man with a mission. I have been lucky enough to interview him on several occasions and I recall his admission in November 1996 that he would definitely not run away from the game that gave him so much fame and fortune upon his retirement.
“Most of us always say ‘we’re going to be far from coaching’ but who knows?” Pele told me on his return from Libreville after a 1998 World Cup qualifier against Gabon which nearly consumed a whole generation of Black Stars as the military aircraft that ferried them nearly crashed. “Now, I’m planning for the future and getting my business on ground but it may still happen that even after I put my hands on business, I can be involved in the game.”
He equally said something similar in an interview he granted African Soccer Magazine in July 1997: “At my time of life, footballers often say they are fed up with all the tension and the pressure and want to have nothing more to do with the game. But at the end of the day, we always come back to do it because football has been part and parcel of our lives.
“I could say I won’t be around in footballing circles in the future, but who knows? Something might still be lacking, I could feel that I haven’t completed my mission and that mission must be completed one way or another.”
With the foregoing, we can safely say that Pele was indeed a man who saw tomorrow in 1997 and for navigating the course of Nania FC to be crowned as 2011 GFA Cup winners, deserves commendation. Apart from winning the trophy on offer, Nania FC reportedly received a cheque for 20,000 Ghanaian Cedis (about S$13,000) and will also represent Ghana in next year’s Orange CAF Confederation Cup. What honour is greater than this?
Each time we are greeted with such good tidings as Pele’s success with Nania FC in Ghana, the next question that readily comes to mind is: Why have Nigerian retired players not taken a cue from their counterparts around the world?
It is no longer fashionable to ask what the country or specifically in this case, what can Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) do for former international players rather what are they to do for the uplift of the game? It is not enough to want to coach the national team upon retirement as a player, it is about time retired Super Eagles players bend backwards and give something meaningful to the game.
Legendary author Jack Canfield in his definitive book, ‘The Success Principle: How To Get From Where You Are To Be Where You Are Going’ noted that success in fact leaves clues and that there is nothing new on the surface of the earth.
Abedi Pele’s success with Nania FC is a model that can be replicated here, but who will bell the cat?
Flying Eagles Fly Higher!
Nigerian football watching public can be jaundiced in their opinions sometimes if not every time!
For how can we rationalise the total condemnation of Alhaji Aminu Maigari-led board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) following Super Falcons’ flop at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany?
But for any discerning follower of the game, the Super Falcons squad to Germany was the best prepared team since they have been representing the continent at the World Cup since 1991. That they failed to lift their game beyond mediocre level is another thing entirely and this has nothing to the oversubscribed statement ‘ineptitude of the NFF.’
It is as result of this that I wish the Flying Eagles a successful run at the Under-20 World Cup-starting with their first game against Guatemala tomorrow in Armenia, Colombia.
As African champions, much is expected of the Flying Eagles at this World Cup and I think the only thing that may stand between them and the trophy is luck!
The NFF ensured proper preparation for the team and I think all us of may have lost count of the number of matches they played on the road to Colombia. Playing together all this while should give the team an edge against the rest of the teams. Nigeria has come within a distance of winning the U-20 World Cup but were mere runners-up in 1989 and 1995, may the class of 2011 surpass the feat of their predecessors!
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