Nigeria: We Want to Change the Face of Local Football -Iloenyosi

Daily Independent (Lagos)

Tony Ezimakor

20 June 2011

opinion

Chikelue Iloenyosi may not ring a bell to many Nigerian football fans , at least, not in the manner that would some of his more illustrious team mates at both the junior and senior national teams way back in the late 90s and early part of the century.

He definitely was not Super Eagles’ wiz kids in the mould of some of some visible contemporaries, including household names like Jay Jay Okocha and Kanu Nwankwo, even though he left his mark on mark in the sands of time. This time though he could well be on the part that will forever alter the course of Nigeria football development.

As key member of the splinter Nigeria Football Association (NFA) headed by Jarret Tenebe, the former Fernabache FC of Turkey defender is poised to do for football what he may not have achieved donning the green- white-green colours of Nigeria.

Listening to him talk about the vision and dream that is driving ongoing tussle and effort to restructure Nigerian football and open up the space for the teeming youth of this nation to showcase their skill, one begins to see why the National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) headed by the controversial Harrison Jalla was quick to pick him as Vice President of the association.

“Our vision is to change the face of football; if we allow this charade going on in the NFF, an illegal body, to continue the majority of talented youths of this country will be denied the opportunity to display their God-given talent in the field of play and contribute for the upkeep of their families. And if we allow this opportunity to slip us bye, then posterity will not judge well,” he passionately declared during a recent chat.

Iloenyosi’s aversion and hatred for the injustice that has become the hallmark of Nigeria football dated back to Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. The former U-20 star was among 23 players invited by Dutchman Bonfrere Jo to be part of the Olympic football event. Ironically he left down under without kicking the ball.

According to Iloenyosi, Bonfrere Jo and his manager and veteran journalist ,Chris Eseka desperately wanted to manage his affairs, a demand the players vehemently objected to on the grounds that he had an agent who was already doing a good job as manager. He stuck to his gun even when the former Super Eagles coach tied a possible contract deal as a precondition for him to play in the Olympic Games.

That did not work either and, as a result Iloenyosi was denied opportunity to play for his country at the Games. But trust the radical-minded player, Nigeria football association officials paid a heavily for that, an experience which Bolaji Ojo-Oba, then Head of International will not forget in a hurry.

“When that problem started nobody understood me because we had a lot of players and the team was doing very well. But when we were bundled out of the Olympics and because Nigerian has no patience for failure, people then realized why the coach was not playing me,” he recalled.

Such was defining moment for Iloenyosi. yet nothing can compare with the kind of politics that has taken the game in the country.

“During my active years, Sani Toro was in-charge and I remember how he carried everyone like his son and brother. Toro knows his job and does not care if you are Igbo, Hausa or Yoruba. That is what football is all about; one love”.

This time however, the former Al Itihad of Libya defender said the situation is so bastardized to the extent that people who know little about football and management are now calling the shot.

“I believe we need to get people who can change the face of our football, not these illegal people who did not play the game nor have the administrative skill to pick the vibration of players. It is nothing personal; Just a few of them on the NFF can say something about the game. The rest are dead woods who want to feed on our football They call us comedians but I can assure you that by the time we finish it would be too late for them to know what hit them,” said Iloenyesi.

Iloenyosi maintained that the action of the parallel NFA is predicated on the need to bequeath a lasting structure that can drive the game and provide teeming Nigerian youths opportunity to discover their God-given talents.

The ex-international traced present logjam to the failure of the NFF to keep to agreement reached with NANF last year.

“Most people don’t actually understand what is happening and that is why they resort to name calling. There was a court injunction that stopped the election of August 2010. It was not vacated but they went ahead to conduct the election and the federal high court nullified it. They did not appeal the ruling and it became a law. Even when we had an agreement with them which they failed to honour, the court still said the election stands nullified. So as far as we are concerned they are an illegal body and we cannot be doing deal with an illegal body”.

He disclosed that the NFF made matters worse when they voluntarily deposed to an affidavit in court that they are not NFA but NFF, a private organization.

“We saw the vacuum and decided to move as NFA which is recognized by our laws; who can blame us. Honestly I can say we have the right t do what we are doing because the law of our country has been denigrated and we want to draw attention to the fact that people cannot continue to act with impunity” he fired.

The ex-international and key players in the unfolding drama insists that the way forward is for the NSC and world football ruling body FIFA to set up a normalization committee that will restructure the NFA and organize a credible elections in the states and the country.

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