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It beats one’s imagination that today’s column, the third in the series is not focused on European football, especially the Premier League, arguably the most followed football league in the world.
In a weekend where arguably the biggest football game in Europe – Liverpool versus Manchester City – will hold on Sunday and this column does not deem it fit to focus on it, speaks volumes.
The importance of this game between Liverpool and Manchester City is that the result will to a great extent impact positively or negatively on Arsenal’s hope of winning the Premier League for the first time in over two decades. It is expected that Arsenal will make a light walk of Sunderland at the Emirates this afternoon. A positive result for the Gunners today meant City would arrive at Anfield tomorrow Sunday consumed by how to overcome a nine-point deficit.
With Liverpool, sixth in the table, battling with Chelsea, Manchester United and other clubs in a very tight Champions League placing, and also needing to beat City, so as to revenge the big defeat they suffered in Manchester in the reverse fixture, will make this game a herculean task for Pep Guardiola’s men and would likely drop points.
Julien Laurens writing on espn. com noted, “I really hope this is not going to be cagey and too tactical, and that instead, we have a great attacking game. Both teams are capable of it, and if it is the case, I think Liverpool will just about win it.”
Can Michael Carrick, Manchester United Interim manager, make it four Premier League wins in a row as they play Tottenham Hotspur this weekend? That’s the question. This is a question worth dwelling on having beaten Manchester City (2-0) Arsenal (3-2) and Fulham (3-2). Against the most unpredictable team in the league, well time will tell.
I came down hard on the Confederation of African Football over poor refereeing experienced at the last Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. The continental football governing body was reminded that all the hullaballoo experienced during the tournament was because of poor refereeing with the host team, Atlas Lions of Morocco getting favourable calls all through the tournament.
Mr. Maxwell Kumuyi in, “A final whistle drowned by distrust,” stated, “Morocco’s path to the final had been lined with controversy. Cameroon fumed after a clear penalty on Bryan Mbeumo was waved away in the quarterfinals. Before Cameroon’s complaint, Comoros Islands cried, Mali shouted and Tanzania felt cheated against the host.
“Nigeria was incensed in the semi-final, with midfielder Bright Osayi-Samuel branding the referee “dreadful” after what he called a series of “really bad decisions.” Each incident added another crack to the tournament’s credibility.
“In Rabat, the title was settled amid confusion and conflict, leaving Africa’s flagship competition tarnished by the one thing that should never decide a champion – the referee.”
I made CAF to understand that the path it followed by sanctioning players, officials and teams would not solve the problem, but reorganizing the referee committee by ensuring that only competent referees are given the opportunity of refereeing tat the AFCON.
Today, it is the turn of Nigeria to be reminded that the country no longer deserves the title ‘Giant of Africa’. This title belongs to another country, though I feel ashamed to write such against my country. But truth must be told. Nigeria does not belong to African countries that prioritise the welfare of their citizens.
I was in Morocco during the AFCON and I witnessed a country that understands what it takes to develop sports. Morocco did not only put in place sports facilities from Rabat to Casablanca, to Marrakech, but also ensures that infrastructure that will aid in this development are not lacking. From Casablanca to Marrakech, a journey of over 240km, but witnessed no single pothole. From Casablanca to Rabat, the story is the same. In Fez, the story is one that make Nigerians who were there to cover the Super Eagles asked themselves one question, who did this to Nigeria.
I did not witness power outage all through my stay in the Arab country. Hospital industry is a top notch.
The country’s biggest asset is the people. They were warm, friendly, and approachable and are ready to assist. On several occasions, not officials for the AFCON, but ordinary people on the streets will come to your aid when in trouble. On one or two occasions Moroccans approached me when I wanted to pay the train fare but did not have the required coins, many offered me on a platter.
I’ve been postulating for over two decades in Nigeria that we are not ready to develop sports. We are blinded by some of the successes that have come our way. Truth is these successes were never planned for. They came as a result of the never-say-die nature of Nigerians. The slogan has always been, we have talents. But having abundant of talents alone does not give you success. In the 21st century, success is a product of deliberate programme executed to the latter.
Time has come for Nigeria to ask itself, what does it want to achieve with the talents that doth the nook and cranny of the country? Want them to rot away and want to harness them so as to win laurels for the country. If the latter is the case, which I suppose, then there is need for the country to come with a progrmme that will discover these talents, nurture them into stardom. But this can only be achieved when quality facilities are put in place, the human capital needed to develop them such as coaches; medical personnel are also not left out. It will be a mirage if we hope to harness these talents and we still operate this epileptic power; poor road infrastructure. It will be self-delusion if in this modern time, we don’t have standard intra and inter rail network. The country also need to have in abundance coaches that will discover these talents, nurture them, medical personnel, hospitals where they have access to top notch treatment among others.
