No doubt, there are various reasons for stakeholders of football to be unhappy today. The Super Eagles lost to Guinea Bissau 1-0 in an AFCON qualifier played in Abuja and only managed the same score line to win the return leg courtesy of a penalty kick goal converted by Moses Simon. We recall the only goal Nigeria scored against Ghana in 180 minutes of the crucial World Cup qualifier was also a penalty. And so despite the array of stars like Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lukman, Terry Moffi, Paul Onuachu, Alex Iwobi and others, Nigeria has been struggling to score goals. It is clear the manager Jose Peseiro is not getting it right.

In eight games, he has lost five and only won three. Looking back, it is tough to understand how former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick chose Peseiro for Nigeria ahead of other better rated coaches at the time. His English is poor and we cannot comprehend how he has been impacting his ideas on the players.

He featured Iwobi in defensive midfield in the last two games and it was a setback just as he was unable to blend the good players we have into a solid team. The Eagles, Nigeria’s number one football brand, is bigger than Peseiro. The NFF owes the players 20 match bonuses and one wonders how these piled up to this level. Many hotels in Abuja and other parts of the country are also being owed by the NFF. The Federal Government in the last eight years disbursed over N17 billion to the NFF and yet the body is still owing. FIFA and CAF give regular grants to the football federation but all these are not accounted for.

This is a result of administrative doggedness coupled with determination to get it right by taking decisions on merits and in the interest of the country’s progress in the game. Sadly, this is the time Nigeria’s football is almost at its lowest ebb due to maladministration. The last regime of the NFF took decisions that are still negatively affecting the fortunes of the game till date. Six months after taking over, Ibrahim Gusau is still trying to find his bearings. So far he has simply embraced almost all the ideas of former President Amaju Pinnick. Time is ripe for the new NFF board to correct the wrongs of the past regime. The good tidings so far in the elite domestic league must be sustained just as we expect a deliberate plan to get things right on finance. The monies coming in from friendly games and the international bodies must be put to good use and accounted for. It is also important to reduce the debt burden of the federation. From the players’ and coaching staff to the secretariat and also the service providers of the football body.

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