Can Flying Eagles Fly, in Colombia?

Daily Independent (Lagos)

Uzor Odigbo

29 April 2011

analysis

Lagos — The FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of football for male players under the age of 20 and is organised by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The Championship has been held every two years since the first tournament in 1977 held in Tunisia.

In the 17 tournaments so for held, only eight nations have won the title. Argentina is the most successful team with six titles, followed by Brazil with four titles. Portugal won two titles, while Ghana, Germany, Spain, and formerly existing nations Soviet Union and Yugoslavia have won the title once each.

Until Ghana won the 2009 edition of the tournament, Flying Eagles participation in the tournament, which began in 1981 has always been a beacon of hope to the continent anytime it qualifies for the tourney. Reason being that the team has put up superlative performances in the past editions of the youth tourney.

Twice Nigeria has qualified for the final (1989 and 2005) and twice it has lost. While it lost 0-2 to Portugal in 1989, it was beaten 2-1 by Argentina in 2005. It was in 1985 that Nigeria announced its arrival at the youth tourney, winning its first medal, a bronze, with a team that has the current Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia. Though in the 1981 edition, Nigeria defeated Soviet Union 1-0, though failed to go past the group stage. In the 1989 edition of the tournament, the team came back from the dead to level a four goals deficit against the defunct Soviet Union in the quarter-final, winning on penalty shoot-outs to qualify for its first final.

Since 2005, Flying Eagles performance has been below par. In 2007, A Ladan Bosso-led team to Canada crashed out in the quarters while in 2009, a Siasia-led team also failed to do well. Another opportunity however beckons with John Obuh qualifying Nigeria for the 2011 edition of the tournament holding in Colombia.

Obuh on Thursday defeated Mali 2-0 in South Africa in the ongoing African Youth Championship (AYC) to qualify for the final slated for Sunday, May 1.

The Nigerian side, apart from its opening match that it defeated Ghana 2-1, has been raising questions in its ability to do well in Colombia where it will play in Group D alongside Croatia, Saudi Arabia and Guatemala in the draws that were conducted early Thursday by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Though, it defeated Mali 2-0 to qualify for the final, the team’s attack looks very blunt with an uncoordinated midfield and a defence that lacks confidence. Poor passes were its hallmark. It looks as if without Ahmed Musa, there is no team and no wonder the coach wanted him at all cost. With Musa, the team played well against Ghana, but was a shadow of itself against Cameroon that it lost 0-1. Nigeria was not just in that match. It muscled itself against Gambia in its last group match winning 2-0 before also going past Mali in the semis in an unconvincing way.

The question is, with all the time in the world that Obuh had to raise a team, what did he do? He was on training tour of Libya, Turkey and on return was in Port Harcourt for months with all the time in the world to build a formidable squad not a team in the absence of a player that goes flat.

According to former Super Eagles captain, Henry Nwosu, “the team had a good preparation and I felt such feat should have been replicated in South Africa; perhaps the team over prepared and now having difficulties on implementation. I wish they would come off it and prepare well for Colombia.”

Nwosu is not the only Nigerian on the lurch over Flying Eagles below par showings at the AYC. In fact, former captain of first Nigeria’s U-16 team that lifted the trophy in its maiden edition in China 1985, Nduka Ugbade, berated the team saying, it is not there yet, insisting that the team still has a lot of work to do if it is to make appreciable impact in Colombia.

Ugbade reckons that the team which dazzled all during the qualifiers and in some of the friendly matches played has not lived up to expectation. According to Ugbade, Obuh’s team is lacking in the flair and fluidity past teams are noted for.

Nwosu was not happy that despite extensive preparations the boys had ahead of the AYC, their performance remains sketchy and unconvincing.

Nigeria defeated Ghana 2-1 in the highly anticipated encounter and Nwosu while unstinting in his praise of the team however, observes that this is the time to get even more focused and determined.

“It is a good start for us definitely. Winning the defending champions is something to give cheer. But we should not say now that we’ve beaten Ghana and others we have arrived. No. Indeed we should take the world cup appearance equally as seriously,” Nwosu counselled.

“Qualifying for the U-20 World Cup in Colombia later in the year is the first priority and showing great hunger for good performance at the world stage should also be the goal, sadly, the boys are not reflecting the quantum of countries they visited in preparation for the championship in their performance at this tournament.

“We thank God we are through to the World Cup but to say the truth, I don’t think the team has lived up to expectation. I believe the team still has a lot of work to do in the technical area. Throughout the game against Gambia, it was difficult for them to hold possession and spray quality passes. It was only once they were successful at this and I think it is not too ideal if it is to make impact at the World Cup.”

Nigeria Football Association (NFA) first Vice-chairman, Chief Mike Umeh, is of the opinion that they cannot be rated excellent despite some smarting successes so far.

According to Umeh, while the defeat of Ghana, Gambia and Mali are good stuffs, it would be too early to start rating the team high when the World Cup is there before us.

“That does not mean they are doing well just because they beat Ghana and Gambia. I cannot give them pass mark now just because of that victory,” he said.

FIFA and Confederation of African Football (CAF) technical committee member, Adegboye Onigbinde berated Nigerians for putting undue pressure on the team.

“Nigerians are putting too much pressure on the team hence the quest to win even when they are not technically better than their opponents.”

He said the AYC is a test ground for emerging stars and not already made stars most people think they are.

“Nigeria lost to Cameroon and so what, who is perfect, was Ghana not your prey the other day? So why should any one blame the boys for losing to another team in a round robin tournament such as this.

Onigbinde said that the World Cup in Colombia would determine whether the team that attended the AYC was well prepared or not.

Obuh says the lackluster approach of his boys to the games to lack of hunger for victory, especially in the game against Cameroon which his team lost 0-1.

He promised to work on the team ahead of the FIFAU20 World Cup.

AllAfrica – All the Time