By Prof Emmanuel Ojeme
On the back page of the Vanguard Newspaper of January 10th 2024 was posted a bold declaration of the President of Nigerian Football Federation, Mr. Musa Ibrahim Gusau. This was directed at the coach who is leading the Super Eagles to the 2024 AFCON competition billed to commence on the 13th of same month. It is a banner headline “win or lose Peserio will go”. The statement came as a surprise to many as everyone in Nigeria is motivating the Super Eagles to deliver and redeem its fortunes with this year’s event in line with the renewed hope agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Should the NFF President who is the leader of the organisation for the administration and management of football in Nigeria be publicly telling the coach of the Eagles that he has lost his job or should the NFF President be motivational in his public statements directed at any Super Eagles personnel?
Professor Emmanuel Ojeme
It is also very surprising that since the 10th of January 2024 when this outburst was publicly posted in the back page of the Vanguard newspaper that it has not been denied or withdrawn by the President himself or the media office of the Nigeria Football Federation.
Let it be stated that this does not detract from whatever the NFF as an organization wishes to do with Mr. Peseiro after the AFCON 2024 competition.
What are the likely implications of such a statement for the morale of the Super Eagles Coach?
Mr. Ibrahim Musa Gusau is the president of Nigerian Football Federation (NFF). This organization is the primary stakeholder taking responsibility for the preparation of Super Eagles for international engagements. It has statutory responsibility to ensure the Eagles are successful in its engagements.
The coach of Super Eagles, Mr. Jose Peseiro is the helmsman of Super Eagles. As the nation motivates the Eagles to succeed so the coach should be motivated in order to build a harmonious team framework that would be in the mood of conquest to bring victory to the Nigerian nation. In this regard, it is obviously illogical for anyone to make negative and morale depleting comments about the coach of the Super Eagles as the NFF President has done by implication from his outburst under reference in this article. That statement is psychologically and socio-psychologically unjustifiable at this time of Eagles engagement in Africa’s elite competition.
In the opinion of many, including this writer, that it is unhelpful for the leader of Nigeria’s football organization to direct punches at the Eagles coach at a time that he is leading the team to battle. And also at a time when the team is reaching “performance orgasm” to win the cup after 30 years of the last cup victory. The NFF president is yelling at the coach, you will be sacked, win or lose. This statement is to say the least, toxic and untimely.
As a patriot, it is the fervent prayer of this writer that God Almighty will have mercy on our team and its handlers and put them all in the frame of mind to deliver optimum performances that will bring victory and the cup glory to Nigeria, Amen. Please, my dear NFF president kindly find the grace to pray and wish both coach and players success. This is not the time to issue sack notices to players or coaches. Let Peseiro breathe and do his job to the best of his ability.
There will be time enough, in the cossy interior of the Board room of the NFF to make executive decisions. It is the same Board that hired the coach based on critical assessment of his credentials. Now, let Mr. Peseiro breathe and do his job and Nigeria expects him to excel.
By Prof Emmanuel Ojeme
EMAIL:successojeme@yahoo.com
