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Thu, Aug

The chances of another El=Classico pitting Spanish giants, Real Madrid against their arch rivals Barcelona in the Champions League final at Wembley remained alive when the Spanish giants were kept apart in the draw for the quarterfinals.

Barcelona will face David Beckham’s side Paris St Germain - he is the only English player left in the competition - while Real Madrid will take on Turkish giants, Galatasaray. In the other two quarterfinals, Bayern Munich’s reward for seeing off Arsenal is a meeting with the Italian “Old Lady” Juventus, while the other German quarter-finalist, Borussia Dortmund will play Spanish side Malaga. Unlike in previous seasons, UEFA did not also make the draw for the semi-final pairings at the same time - that will now take place next month.

Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho is aiming to become the first manager to win the Champions League with three different clubs, having achieved it previously with Porto and Inter Milan. Real Madrid eliminated Manchester United after very questionable refereeing in the first knockout round and also qualified from a tough group comprising the domestic league champions of Spain, Germany, England and Holland. Galatasaray’s squad includes two former Mourinho favorites - ex-Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and former Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder.

Barcelona, who came from 2-0 down in the first leg of the last round to beat AC Milan 4-2 on aggregate, will come up against their former striker, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who now plays for big-spending French clubside, Paris St. Germain.

Fans around the world hope the matches among the last eight will be just as intriguing. Of all the clubs left standing after group play and the first knockout stage, Turkish side Galatasaray and Spanish side Malaga, who often get overshadowed by La Liga counterparts, are the most surprising.

Among the top contenders are Bayern Munich, which reached the final last season before upstart Chelsea claimed the trophy, fellow German club Borussia Dortmund and the two Spanish giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid. The first legs will be played on either April 2 or 3 and will be followed by the second legs the next week, on either April 9 or 10.

Meanwhile, the three English teams remaining in the Europa League were kept apart in the quarter-final draw. Tottenham appeared to be handed the easiest draw after being paired with Swiss side Basle, while Newcastle will play Benfica from Portugal and Turkish side Fenerbahce will face Lazio of Italy.

Rubin Kazan will be tough opponents for Rafa Benitez’s Chelsea team. The Russian side has already knocked out two Spanish teams - holders Atletico Madrid in the round of 32 and Levante, winning 2-0 after extra time. Rubin Kazan were unbeaten in a tough group that include Inter Milan, and are particularly strong defensively, having conceded only three goals in 10 European matches.

Spurs’ opponents Basle scraped into the quarter-finals after Russian side Zenit St Petersburg missed a late penalty against the 10-Swiss side.

Our governments have spent billions of naira over time to promote a positive image for Nigerians everywhere.  Regrettably, the popular perception of the Nigerian character remains that of greed, self-interest and other such antisocial escapades.  The promoted brand of "Good People, Great Nation" never really took off, and it has become clear that neither catchy slogans nor sexy packaging can change public perception of what is intrinsically a bad product!  Ultimately, our football team's derisive nickname of 'Super Chickens' became a neater fit of our national image than our own self-invention of 'Giant of Africa'; consequently, most foreigners believed that nothing good could come out of this supposedly 'cursed' land!

The question then is, how did the Super Eagles against all odds win the coveted elusive ‘Africa Nation's Cup’, with qualities and focus supposedly alien to the Nigerian character?  With our tradition of tardy preparations, inadequate funding and poor team selection, how did the shrubs we sowed transform into sweet-smelling roses?

As we celebrate the unexpected exploits of the Super Eagles, we may also draw lessons from the performances of the following three members of the team; Stephen Keshi’s exemplary leadership, the indomitable spirit of home grown Sunday Mba and also, the dynamite and humble enigma called Victor Moses!

Undoubtedly, unity, cohesive teamwork, strong determination to succeed, utmost self-belief, and a driving hunger for personal glory and honour to the fatherland produced the Eagles’ unexpected success! 

Keshi's courageous leadership was certainly a major factor in the AFCON victory; his team list was based on the perceived fighting and winning mentality of each player and the readiness of his selection to play according to instructions.  Indeed, Keshi, himself maintained that individual skills alone do not win such tournaments, and in spite of intense pressure, he remained undaunted and unapologetic for leaving out some star players; for Keshi, merit without consideration of ethnic affiliations or federal character was the benchmark for team selection!

The Coach consistently took full responsibility for his team's shortcomings, without overtly apportioning blame to anyone!  Consequently, he earned his players’ respect and their resolve to give 101 per cent in every match.  Keshi, in return, showed genuine fatherly concern and motivated his players.

Meanwhile, unknown to Nigerians, Keshi was silently hurting; but despite unpaid salary arrears and other official deprivations, he refused to moan but instead encouraged Nigerians to have faith in the team’s ability, and confidently remained upbeat about fulfilling his contract terms to take the Super Eagles to the semi-finals of AFCON 2013,!

Curiously, also, unknown to most Nigerians, midway through the tournament, the Football Federation had allegedly threatened to summarily sack Stephen Keshi if he refused to accept a foreign technical adviser as his boss; in response, Keshi offered to voluntarily resign as Coach immediately after the Super Eagles unexpectedly beat the star-studded tournament favourites, Ivory Coast!  Consequently, Keshi’s dedication of the victory to all African Coaches and the subsequent aborted resignation were clear statements of protest! 

Fortunately, the Eagles camp remained unusually convivial and harmonious despite the distractions!  The excellent team spirit was no doubt a testimony of  resilience and the matured leadership skills of Coach Keshi; an attribute that has unfortunately been absent in the affairs of our nation for too long!

Keshi's effortless response to questions in both English and French must have endeared him not only to French speaking Africans, but also to those Nigerians, who cringe at the poor performance of our national leaders in front of international media. 

In similar vein, Nigerians witnessed the amazing exploits of Sunday Mba, one of six domestic players in Keshi's 23-man team.  The unusually high quota of local content was justified by the excellent performances of Mba and other homegrown players.  Mba certainly lifted the spirits of most Nigerians with his two mesmerizing winning goals against Ivory Coast in the quarterfinals and Burkina Faso in the finals respectively; better-known international icons like Pele and Maradona would have been proud to have scored either goal.  Indeed, despite technical and capacity limitations locally, there are undoubtedly many more Mbas, loaded with the ‘Nigerian Spirit’, waiting to explode in the service of our country in various fields of endeavour whenever the enabling economic environment presents itself.

Mba's electric performance and Keshi's success sent out a strong message that the object of our expensive foreign travails may actually have remained idle in the pockets of our 'shokoto'.  This same syndrome of lack of belief in ourselves, and the cringing adoration for everything foreign, even when the imported quality is inferior can still be observed in all facets of governance and corporate management in our country!

Finally, we cannot comment on the apparent total commitment of Victor Moses to the national team’s success without a twitch of guilt or at best some embarrassment.  Indeed, after his petulance in retaliation to tackles in the pre-tournament match against Cape Verde, it was unlikely that the same player would win the fair-play award in the final match of AFCON 2013.  Moses certainly responded positively to the reformative chiding by a very unhappy Coach Keshi after the Cape Verde match, as the young man subsequently rode more vicious tackles without any visible emotional outburst in the six AFCON matches played by the Super Eagles!  Despite the threatening injury he sustained in the earlier match against Mali, Moses went on to give a superlative account of himself also in the finals.

Surprisingly, Victor had a choice to play for England and ultimately enjoy the same cult status of key players in the English team, but it is to his credit and his sense of loyalty that he chose, instead, to play for his fatherland; unknown to most Nigerians, the parents of this young man were mindlessly murdered in the mayhem that followed the aborted Abuja Miss World Beauty Contest in 2002!  Painfully, the perpetrators of that heinous act remain free; Victor Moses may never forget the brutal separation from his parents, but for him to have given so much of himself to Nigeria in the AFCON 2013 tournament, the young man must have found it in his heart to forgive his countrymen!

Nigerians everywhere thank the Super Eagles, the team's support staff and travelling fans for burnishing our national image and delivering on their promise to put a smile on the faces of longsuffering compatriots; however, we also pray that our smiles become a wider grin at the Confederation Cup in June!  Good Luck!

 

By Henry Boyo

 

 

 

With no car, no official accommodation and four months of salary arrears, relations between Keshi and the NFF had degenerated to the point that Keshi had contemplated quitting on the eve of the nations cup tournament.

But for the personal intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan who read the riot act to the Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, Stephen Keshi’ would have made good his resignation as coach of the Nigerian national football team, the Super Eagles. Keshi rescinded his decision to resign as Super Eagles coach barely 24 hours after tendering his resignation letter to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Upon learning of the unsavory development which dampened the national mood of triumph and celebration after winning the African Cup of Nations, President Jonathan is said to have called the Sports Minister who officially headed the delegation to South Africa and instructed him to do everything within his power to get Keshi to reconsider his decision and save the country from what was turning out to be a major embarrassment. Jonathan, sources told Huhuonline.com even spoke to Keshi on the phone and pleaded with him to change his mind.

After hours of frantic negotiations which dragged on into Tuesday morning, and with all outstanding issues resolved by the minister who doubles as the chairman of the National Sports Commission, Keshi agreed to stay. He was part of the Eagles’ delegation that arrived Abuja to a tumultuous welcome on Tuesday and was present at the official reception hosted by Jonathan at State House.

Keshi admitted on arrival in Abuja that it took the intervention of the Sports Minister to rescind his decision to quit the Eagles job. The coach said he decided to call it quits because of the way he has continuously been treated by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and the technical committee.

Huhuonline.com learnt from a source close to the former national team skipper that Keshi was working under conditions unbefitting of the coach of the Nigerian national team. The source explained that the NFF has treated Keshi without even a modicum of respect; hanging the prospect of hiring an expatriate coach over Keshi’s head like a sword of Damocles and acting as if they were doing Keshi a favor by giving him the job of coach of the national team.

The source told Huhuonline.com that in a malign display of sheer provocation, a member of the technical committee told Keshi his face that the NFF would appoint a foreign technical director and make him the overall boss of all Nigerian coaches, adding: “If you listened carefully, you will recall Keshi always talking about African countries’ penchant of employing carpenters and farmers as coaches because of the color of their skin. This explains why Keshi dedicated the victory of the Super Eagles to all indigenous African coaches,” the source explained.

The rift between Keshi and the NFF, the source explained, had degenerated to the point that Keshi had contemplated quitting the job on the eve of the African Nations Cup, but decided to use his position to prove that indigenous coaches could do better than the foreigners the NFF was thinking of hiring.

Huhuonline.com learnt from NFF sources that several months after he took over the job as coach of the national team, Keshi is yet to get an official car and accommodation. As if that was not enough, the Federation has not paid Keshi his salary for the last four months. Rather, NFF officials have taken turns to interfere with his job; questioning not only his selection of players but also his tactics; something Keshi with over 35 years of big football time experience considers unacceptable.

To add insult to injury, NFF officials reportedly booked their tickets back to Nigeria a day before the Nigeria-Cote d’Ivoire quarterfinal match because they believed the Eagles will be eliminated and even when the Eagles produced a heroic performance and eliminated the Elephants, the officials attributed it to mere luck. “Keshi pondered on his resignation before the final and I was not surprised that he tendered the letter after the game,” the source said.

“I don’t think the NFF has treated Keshi well; even when it was obvious that the coach was on the verge of leading the team to a great feat, he did not get the support of his employers. After the final match on Sunday, some NFF officials visited Keshi in his room in a hypocritical display of solidarity, but the coach walked them out of the room because they never believed in him. Normally, Keshi was expected to join the celebration in the hotel court, but he decided to stay alone in his room because he felt the people that employed him did not believe in him.”

The source revealed that before accepting to change his mind, the Sports Minister promised Keshi would be given a free hand to do his job, while all the money owed him would be settled immediately. He also promised a good accommodation in Abuja, and other appurtenances of his office.

The Nigerian government has already started making good the promises as Keshi received N10 million yesterday at State House during the official reception offered the Eagles by President Jonathan. In addition, he was conferred with the nation’s fourth ranking national honor – Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).

For a series of wrong calls in Wednesday’s second semi-final match between Ghana and Burkina Faso at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), Tunisian referee Slim Jdidi has earned a suspension from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Secretary-general of CAF, Hicham El Amrani, speaking at a news conference before the Burkinabe FA lodged an official appeal against Jonathan Pitroipa’s red card, revealed the disappointment of the continental body in the referee’s performance.

“There is a meeting tomorrow (Friday) to discuss the Pitroipa incident,” he said. “Pitroipa’s chances of playing in the final depend on the match report sent in by Jdidi because the organising committee does not have the power to change the referee’s decision unless the referee admits he made a mistake in his official report.”

But Gualbert Kabore, manager of the Stallions team, is hoping two-goal hero Pitroipa can still play in the final.

“The Burkina Faso Football Federation wrote an offical letter of appeal to CAF,” he said. “We lodged it in the two hours after the match as stipulated by the regulations.

“We think we have a good chance of winning the appeal.”

Continuing, he said, “There were some scandalous decisions, we don’t know why, we’re asking lots of questions; there are lots of theories.

“Curiously, the players reacted better than us [the team management staff]. They said if the referee is against us that must mean we are the stronger side.”

Referee Jdid infamously booked Pitroipa for a second time in the encounter for supposedly diving in the penalty zone and sent him out of the field but replays then showed the forward was fouled by a Ghanaian defende. Burkina Fasso also scored a legitimate goal that was disallowed while a strong penalty appeal was also turned down despite Ghana having takien the lead earlier off a controversial penalty call.

 

Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola on Friday announced a cash gift of N54.5m to members of the Super Eagles of Nigeria for clinching the 29th African Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy.

The excited governor made the announcement when he hosted the team in his Lagos House office at Alausa, Ikeja. In addition to the gift, he announced another donation of N2.5m to Coach Stephen Keshi.

Keshi's immediate assistant, Daniel Amokachi received N2m while each of the other four assistant coaches got the sum of N1.5m. Captain of the team, Joseph Yobo also got an extra N1.5 million.

The governor gave each of the players who scored the team’s 11 goals at the tournament the sum of N1.5m each while others got N1 million each. Also, Governor Fashola gave the backroom staff of the team a total sum of N15m while the supporters’ club received another N4.5m.

Describing the gesture as a token, he commended the team for lifting the spirit of the country and its citizens through its excellent performance at the tournament. He described the successful outing as a victory for the country and its sports, especially considering the team’s latest position on the FIFA ranking.

Fashola urged them against relenting, saying they should rather build on the recorded success as they prepare to meet Kenya next month in a World Cup qualifier.

“Let us remind ourselves that Zambia, the immediate defending champions of the tournament, did not make it to the second round,” he said reminding the team of the forthcoming Confederations Cup which is to begin in June.

“The Confederations Cup provides us with an opportunity to improve on our performance. Yes, we have moved from very abysmal ranking to 4th in Africa and 30th in the world but we must remember that the ranking used to be better because in 1994, we were ranked 5th in the world.”

He implored them to always be conscious of the fact that the job is far from completion, saying “We must begin to plan ahead and do all the right things to ensure the team performs better.”

While using the opportunity to call for the improvement of the local league and grassroots football since they both have prospect for the country's performance in international competitions, he urged sport officials to desist from interfering with coaching matters in the national teams.

Reports of the resignation of Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi, less than a day after winning the 29th African Cup of Nations (AFCON), have been received with sadness by Nigeria fans.

“I did what I feel is right by resigning,” Keshi told Metro FM. “I gave the NFF a letter last night [Sunday] after the celebrations.”

According to the radio station, Keshi claimed to have been sacked before the quarter-final encounter with Cote d’Ivoire because NFF officials concluded that the Eagles had lost the match even before a ball was kicked, and went ahead to book a return plane to Nigeria.

He claimed, too, that it was after the semi-final that he got wind of NFF’s plan but he dismissed it so that the team could concentrate on the final.

One of the fans who spoke to Huhuonline.com lamented that keshi’s resignation is coming at a time when the country should be savouring the joy of Sunday’s monumental triumph.

“This is sad”, he said. “We should be celebrating, not destroying what we have built. I hope everything is resolved very soon.”

Though the news has been denied by Emeka Inyanma of the NFF, it was unofficially confirmed by some staff of the Sports Ministry, who further said the sports management in the country is making efforts to manage the situation because of the embarrassment it is likely to engender..

SuperSports presenter, Robert Marawa, also confirmed that Keshi disclosed he was quitting the position of coach, a report that has left many wondering why the coach would resign after leading the country to victory.

But Huhuonline.com learnt that Keshi was pissed off by the intrigues that followed earlier disappointing performances of the team at the beginning of the tournament.

According to a source in the NFF, while Keshi battled to lead the country to victory, officials of the NFF busied themselves with meetings on how to replace him should the team perform poorly.

"Keshi got wind of this and has now decided that since his employers don't have confidence in him, he would leave now that he has embarrassed them with excellent performance against their expectation.

"The Sports Ministry is not finding it funny and has been pleading with him and thinking of a way out because it means Nigeria would have to start afresh instead of consolidating on what we have currently," the source said disclosing that some African countries are already struggling to appoint Keshi to head their teams. 

The Sports Ministry and the NFF are yet to come out with a statement on the true position, but Inyanma says as far as the NFF is concerned, Keshi still remains coach and has not resigned.

Meanwhile, Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri has congratulated the Super Eagles of Nigeria on their victory over Burkina-Faso, in the final match of the tournament.

Omeri thanked the Super Eagles for doing the country proud in South Africa, saying the victory was achieved with our collective efforts.

“Nigeria could not have achieved this feat if we did not do the right thing,” he said.

“The biggest point to note from this is that with the support of all Nigerians, positive development will always come our way. We did not just sit down and wished that we win the trophy, the government, the team, the head coach, all played their part. Everybody did the right thing for us to be happy today.”


The agency, in partnership with the National Sports Commission (NSC), had organised a public viewing centre at the National Stadium, Abuja, to enable sport-loving Nigerians watch the finals.

 

Omeri advised the Eagles to maintain the momentum and continue doing the country proud in future tournaments. He also called on Nigerians to be supportive and positive to the team at all times

The bonus galore will see each player bag at least $65,000 extra should they win the trophy but the Super Eagles must first take care of Ivory Coast in one of two West African derbies that promise to generate fireworks on Sunday.  

Having already each received $30,000 for making the knock-out stages of the competition, the Super Eagles will each receive $15,000 if they beat Cote d’Ivoire and qualify for the semi-final of the 2013 AFCON on Sunday. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) disclosed that each player will earn $20,000 if they triumph in the semi-final. For victory in the finals on February 10 at the National Stadium in Johannesburg, each player will pocket another $30,000.

Guinness, the official sponsor of the Super Eagles has also made a financial commitment for goals scored at the AFCON 2013, while the Eagles are also expecting Nigeria’s richest man; billionaire business magnate, Alhadji Aliko Dangote to reach into his deep pockets after they reached the last eight. Each player received about $80,000 when Nigeria finished third at the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola.

The game against Ivory Coast will be tough, but the Super Eagles must rise up to the challenge and take their chances which will be few against an Ivorian side bookmakers consider the tournament favorites featuring an armada of stars like Didier Drogba, Gervinho, Yaya Toure, amongst others.

The quarter-finals which begin on Saturday features eight teams; seven from West Africa – Nigeria, Ivory Coast; Burkina Faso, Togo; Ghana, Cape Verde and Mali; signaling a profound domination of the 2013 edition of the tournament by West Africa. After sending the North and East Africans packing, the only outsider is the host, South Africa who play Mali in the quarter-finals. Should the Bafana Bafana lose, the semi-finals and finals will be an all-West African affair.

Ahead of Sunday’s crucial match-up, the inability to finish off teams is something Keshi has to work on in the locker room. The Eagles failed to close out their first two games from a winning position; snatching a draw from the jaws of victory against Burkina Faso who equalized with the last kick of the game to rescue a point in their opening group match. Even if the Eagles take the lead, the Ivorians will always feel there is the opportunity for a late equalizer or winner, since Nigeria has conceded late goals toward the end of their first two games.

It’s important that the Super Eagles take their opportunities, especially when facing the 1992 African champions; unarguably the dream team of the tournament. Coach Stephen Keshi needs to encourage a free-scoring tendency especially from dead ball situations like spot kicks and corner kicks because the midfield is going to be very tight in open play, so the Ivorians will be hoping to catch the Eagles napping and hit them at the break with a counter-attack.

The Elephants played to a 2-2 draw against Algeria in their last group match on Wednesday night, a match which proved to be a tough test for the Group D winners as they had to come back from being two goals down. That should tell Keshi something about the character of the Ivorian team who came back twice to beat Senegal (4-2) in the final round of qualifying matches.

Victor Moses was the hero of the day when the Eagles booked their place in the quarter-finals as he won and converted the two penalties that won the game. But that should not make him the choice penalty taker in the team. Keshi should work this out during training sessions to be ready for the eventuality of a penalty shoot-out which is mentally and psychologically draining.

However, regardless of the decision by the Egyptian referee following the controversial penalty call that gave Zambia the late equalizer against Nigeria in their second group match, the fact remains that the referee didn’t make John Obi Mikel miss the penalty, which his body language showed that he was ill-prepared to take the shot.

It was a tactical error for Mikel, who has never scored in 261 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, stepping up to take the spot kick. He hasn’t been the best option for Nigeria in this tournament, and he was obviously the wrong choice for the task. Keshi ought to have known better!

Against the Elephants of Ivory Coast, has to prove that they can dominate a game, not just put in a patchy performance and expect to win as they did against Ethiopia. Obi Mikel, despite his problems finding the net, should be shore up the midfield and control possession through the middle.

Cote d’Ivoire will be looking for its third straight win over Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations after beating the Super Eagles (1-0) in 2006, with Didier Drogba scoring the only goal, while Salomon Kalou secured another (1-0) win two years later.

On Sunday afternoon at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, the Eagles face 1992 champions Ivory Coast. The winners of this match-up will clash with the winners of the quarter-final between hosts South Africa and Mali; less fancied opponents which gives the Eagles a better shot at the finals should they overcome the Ivorians who will be a hard nut to crack.

 

 

More Articles ...

  1. AFCON 2013: Eagles beat Ethiopia to advance to Quarter-Finals
  2. AFCON 2013: CAF sacks ref who officiated Nigeria vs. Zambia match
  3. AFCON 2013: Super Eagles face Ethiopia in Win or Go Home Match
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