If Nigeria triumph at the ongoing AFCON, it will be more as an act of God than human effort, says football entrepreneur and former Gombe United Chairman, Hon. Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe
.
Gombe said the victory of the Eagles would not necessarily be due to the competence of the Portuguese Coach Jose Paseiro.
Making this observation through a media statement, Gombe pointed to poor build -up of the Super Eagles leading to a month the football tournament kicked off in Cote D’Ivoire.
According to the football guru, Eagles progress at the tournament was not due to good preparations.
Gombe stated his position in his statement that even the blind and ignorant among people in football circles see that Eagles preparation was haphazard.
He said: “The Super Eagles and our Football Development processes cannot change even if Nigeria wins the World Cup.
“The reason why I never joined in the Euphoria whenever we win a Match and also in the Hysteria whenever we don’t do well or lose is that we always tend to forget those things that are missing in our Football Developmental processes until we lose a friendly.
“Nigeria’s football Developmental challenges are very much around and whenever we win we forget them”.
Gombe, who is also the Chairman/Publisher/CEO NorthEast Times Newspaper said, “At AFCON, most Nigerians believe in the Coach, the Team and the NFF Management, Because Eagles are fumbling and wobbling improving by every game and Nigerians are happy, these happiness to say the least, is temporary. The NFF must work for a permanent solution driven by Happiness.
“Suddenly we have forgotten that Pasiero is a bad coach, we also forgot about Sadiq umar’s mess. Suddenly we forgot AHLAN is the chairman of Technical Committee, Suddenly we forgot our main saviour who kept us in this AFCON is a product of our local league. Short Memory is one of our greatest headaches.
“Super Eagles as a Team has some of the best forwards in the world namely, Osimhen, Chukwueze, Awoniyi, Mofi, Sadiq, Lukman, Musa, Iheanacho Onuachu, Simon, etc.. cannot score at regulation time after five rounds of matches is completely unacceptable.
“The Super Eagles last match against South Africa did not deserve to win, they played better, the heroics prowess of Nwabali, the home boy not a Diasporan kept us to the last game. South African I insist, played better and they no longer respect Super Eagles anymore.”
He reasoned that Super Eagles had been progressing and improving through benevolent Divine intervention, individual courage and determination of the players making the Eagles Defence one of the best in AFCON.
However, there are people Hon. Gara Gombe described them as paid agents in the Media who have already started calling for the retention of Pasiero.
He continued, “Sunday the final battle of AFCON is just around the corner where prayers sessions resume. For me no Euphoria nor Hysteria, Win or lose.
Hon. Gara Gombe didn’t only shout blue murder, He also proferred some solutions that could assist in building a veritable National team the Super Eagles.”
He itemised his solutions to include;
1. Reconstitute the Technical Committee and give the Job to knowledgeable people,it is not a family and friends affair it is our game.
2. Replace Paseiro and appoint a local Coach and give him a five year target.
3. Establish an NFA ACADEMY.
4. Strengthen the youth league of the NPFL.
5. Allocate a Quota for local league players in the Super EAGLES.
6. Introduce a monthly or bi monthly CHAN A and B Tournament.
7. Get a permanent Sponsor for the Super EAGLES And CHAN with a permanent BASE or CAMP.
He said many countries in Africa, if not all have used FIFA MONEY and GRANTS to build permanent National camps but in NIGERIA the money gets compromised in some other unknown projects.