IGBOZURUOKE MEDIA

BY CHIDI ANYAMELE

It is no longer news that Nigeria won the last edition of FIFA, Under Seventeen World Cup, which was held in far away Chile, making it the fifth time that Nigeria will be crowned world champion at that level. This is no mean feat by all parameters and as such, deserves to be celebrated. Now that the celebrations are almost over, it is now time to pause and ponder over certain issues which have been thrown up by this phenomenal accomplishment.

Nigeria won the maiden edition of this tournament way back in 1985, when it was known as  the Kodak Under 17 World Cup  and since then, we have not been able to win the Under 20 World Cup which is a follow up to the under 17 championship. The best we have been able to achieve at that level is a bronze medal in Moscow ’85 and silver medals at the ’89 and 2005 editions in Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands respectively. At the under 23 category, we  have been  able to win  gold and silver at Atlanta ’96 and Beijing 2008 Olympics respectively, while at the senior level, we have just two nations cup victory in 1994 and 2013 to show for our efforts.

So, if we are to undertake a statistical analysis of this score card, it becomes obvious that we have not been able to justify our victories at the cadet championship in comparison to the senior levels. This situation becomes worrisome when we recall that FIFA’s motive for establishing the cadet championships is for developmental purposes, so that players can be discovered at tender ages, groomed, exposed and prepared for eventual recruitment into the senior teams. So, for a country to win the cadet tournament five times and still cannot win at the senior levels is quite baffling. Something, therefore, must have gone wrong somewhere. And what could it be?

We recall that out of all the players that featured for Nigeria at the first cadet championship (China ’85) when it was then known as the Kodak Junior World Cup, only Nduka Ugbade and Jonathan Akpoborie made it to the senior levels. In the ’87 squad, only Christopher Nwosu and Dimeji Lawal made it to the Super Eagles. The 1993 set of Golden Eaglets which also conquered the world had brighter prospects as it produced the greatest number of players who made it to the Super Eagles. These players were Kanu Nwankwo, Wilson Oruma, Karibe Ojigwe, Celestine Babayaro, Emmanuel Babayaro and Mobi Oparaku.

The 2007 team of the Golden Eaglets was an assemblage of fine players who took the world by storm. At the tournament, they played Champaign soccer as they overcame obstacles on their way to the final victory. Nigeria’s Chrisantus Macaulay, emerged the highest goal soccer at the championship and after the world cup, he walked straight into oblivion. Recall that the German team which Nigeria defeated en route to the final had the likes of Toni Kroos and Thomas muller, who are still playing and have won virtually everything winnable as far as football is concerned.

After winning the 2013 edition of the under 17 World Cup, so much was expected form the Manu Garba tutored squad as they progressed en mass together with their coach to the under 20 category of the Junior championship. Quite a lot was expected from them considering the fact that they have been together for a longtime and exhibited great prospects. But just like the team before them, they crashed like a pack of card at the under 20 championship. So, what could be responsible for these turn of events?

If we appreciate the fact that football has age limitations and is therefore a game for the youths, then we are close to the answer. When over aged players are fielded against younger players especially at the under 19 categories, there is every tendency that the older players shall establish dominance. But when over aged players are fielded at the under 20 category, there is likely to be little or no impact because at that level, a good player can hold his own against any opposition, because at that level, some of the players are already ripe enough even for their senior national teams. So, it stands to reason therefore, that most of the players we field at under 17 tournaments are already at their primes. So, when we expect them to mature and progress to the senior category, they are already past their primes and as such, the law of diminishing marginal utility begins to set in and gradually, they start to fade away.

This was exactly what happened to the diminutive Philip Osondu aka Zanza. He shone like a million stars at the ’87 edition of the Under 17 world cup and Anderlect of Belgium snatched him immediately after the tournament. They placed him in their feeder team with the hope that he would gradually progress to the senior team. But alas, that was not to be! They gave him all what he needed nutritionally in order to grow. But instead of growing, Osondu was becoming rotund. It later dawned on the management of the club that Osondus age was not what he claimed and at the end of the day, they gave him the booth. He never played for Anderlect, even for a day. The last we heard of Osondu was that he was employed as a sweeper by a Belgian Airline.

If we recall the fact that Nigeria was banned by FIFA just before the 1991 tournament of the under 17 championship, then everything will begin to fall into place. So, while a player like Louis Figo, who featured for Portugal at the Saudi ’89 (Portugal won the cup at the expense of Nigeria) edition of the under 17 championship, went on to win laurels at the very senior levels, some of his counterparts at the same tournament like Sam Elijah, Chris Ohehen, Christain Obi etc. retired almost immediately after the championship and could be seen almost every weekend at the practicing pitch of the national stadium, playing 5 aside. Here, they remembered the good old days, relish the past and cherished their brief romance with stardom.

There is no doubt that players like Jonathan Akpoborie, Nduka Ugbake, Wilson Oruma, Kanu Nwankwo, Celestine Babayaro, Victor Ikpeba, Thompson Oliha, Dimeji Lawal etc. were able to go all the way because age was on their side. When you recall the fact that, the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Iker Casillas featured in the 1999 edition of the under 20 world cup, and are still very much relevant to date, then you can imagine the harm that age falsification has done and is doing to Nigerian football. Of all the players paraded by Nigeria at Nigeria ’99, only Julius Aghaowa made it to the Super Eagles

From the foregoing, it becomes obvious that age falsification and technical deficiencies have been the bane of Nigerian football. Justice Adokie Amasiemaka (ex-international) lamented this unfortunate development when he exposed Emmanuel Fortune who featured for Nigeria at the 2005 edition of the Under 17 World Cup which was hosted by Nigeria. This was a boy who participated in an under 17 competition in Rivers state in 1996. Nine years later, he re-emerged as a sixteen years old player and captained Nigeria to the championship. So, as at the time the competition was held, he was already 26. Amasiemaka corroborated his claims with facts, figures and pictures which were never contested.

But, will the present squad of the Golden Eaglets who has just conquered the world go the way of their predecessors? Time shall definitely tell. But if you tarry a while and be patient, you will discover at the end of the day, that you have seen the last of these players and that would definitely not be a surprise.