I would just like to point out that almost no one thought this would happen. Not the players, not Coach Shaibu Amodu, not most of the fans, and certainly not me. In fact, only John Powers seems to have called this correctly.

Still, I am estatic. I feel as giddy as the little girl that I was in 1994 when we first made it to the World Cup. I hope and pray that we display more of that year’s magic in South Africa. It would be a sight to see.

For their part, the Carthage Eagles played a friendly against Cote D’Ivoire, putting in a solid performance. Although they failed to score, they had some good opportunities, and Coach Coehlo got a chance to work out some kinks in his line up (see here for more on that). Nigeria has not played an international match since then, but Coach Amodu is making some changes of his own. Most notably, the execrable Obafemi Martins will not make an appearance in this match. Even Amodu has grown weary of his unprofessional attitude towards the Nigerian team, and he’s giving Martins a time out. We’re still experimenting in the midfield, with the younger players like Kaita and Ajilore being given more opportunity.

So who might make a difference in this match? Here are my players to watch:

Jemaa (CE): Will he make good choices or hang on too long to the ball?
Kasraoui (CE): On his A-game, our job is that much more difficult.
Korbi (CE): Can he keep his cool or will he blow his top and get sent off? OTOH, will any Nigerian players delibrately provoke him?

Ogbuke-Obasi (SE): Is he back to his pre-injury form both physically and mentally?
Olofinjana (SE): Can he show leadership and be creative in the midfield?
Ikechuwku Uche (SE): Will he be able to get past Hagui and Kasraoui to find the net?

The unknowable answers to these questions would provide a clearer picture of how the match would work, and make the next few hours more bearable for many of us. However, Nigerians can hope that with the 12th man (fans) out on the field with our boys, they will be able to do here what they were not able to do in Rades, and what Nigeria has been unable to do twice in the past: give Tunisia the run of a lifetime.

Prediction (or hope, really): Nigeria 2 Tunisia 1

Squad Lists

Nigeria

Goalkeepers – Vincent Enyeama(Hapoel Tel Aviv/ISR), Austin Ejide (Bastia/FRA), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei-Yehuda/ISR)

Defenders – Onyekachi Apam (Nice/FRA), Yusuf Mohammed (FC Sion/SWI), Joseph Yobo (Everton/ENG), Obinna Nwaneri (FC Sion/SWI), Taye Taiwo (Olympique Marseille/FRA), Elderson Echiejile (Rennes/FRA), Dele Adeleye (Sparta Rotterdam/NED), Olubayo Adefemi (Boulogne/FRA)

Midfielders – John Mikel Obi (Chelsea/ENG), Sani Kaita (FC Kuban/RUS), Seyi Olofinjana (Hull City/ENG), Kalu Uche (Almeria/SPA), Oluwafemi Ajilore (FC Groningen/NED)

Forwards – Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth/ENG), Osaze Odemwingie (Locomotiv Moscow/RUS), Obinna Nsofor (Malaga/SPA), Ikechukwu Uche (Real Zaragoza/SPA), Michael Eneramo (Esperance/TUN), John Utaka (Portsmouth/ENG), Chinedu Ogbuke-Obasi (Hoffenheim/GER)

Tunisia

Goalkeepers: Hamdi Kasraoui (Lens), Aymen Mathlouthi (Etoile), Jassem Khaloufi (CS Sfaxien)

Defenders: Karim Hagui (Hannover/Germany), Yassine Mikari (Sochaux/France), Seif Ghezal (Young Boys/Switzerland), Aymen Abdennour (Etoile), Khaled Souissi (Club Africain), Radhouane (1860 Munich), Bilel Ifaa (Club Africain), Ammar Jmel (Etoile)

Midfielders: Chaouki Ben Saada (Nice/France), Houcine Ragued (Slavia Prague/Czech), Fahd Ben Khalfakllah (Valencienne/France), Sofiene Chahed (Hannover/Germany), Chadi Hammami (CS Sfaxien), Khaled Korbi (Esperance), Haythem M’rabet (Sfaxien), Nabil Taider (Xanthi/Greece)

Strikers: Oussama Darragi (Esperance), Issam Jomaa (Lens/France), Sami Allagui (Grüther Fürt/Germany), Ali Zitouni (Antalya Sport/Turkey), Zouheir Dhaouadi (Club Africain)

Nigeria likely will earn [a spot] by beating Tunisia at home, where the Super Eagles are unbeaten with a plus-10 goal differential since qualifying began.

I suppose that’s technically true if you neglect the nuances of form, cohesion, and practice that make football dynamically mesmerizing. I do hope he’s right because I can’t imagine sitting through another World Cup where the Super Eagles are unrepresented.

That said, what is Tunisia, our main rival for this berth, doing today? Playing Cote D’Ivoire in a friendly to prepare for our September 6 clash. Meanwhile, Nigerian coach Shaibu Amodu currently has no plans for a friendly prior to that date. Should I really keep asking “what is wrong with Nigerian football?”

“I will not deceive myself about my job as Eagles coach,” Amodu began in a public session with journalists. His startling revelation on Star F.M.’s Megasports this morning, was nothing but depressing. “I don’t even have a team that Nigeria can call a national team for now. I don’t have the first 11 that we can call up for any tough match, that is how bad it is for the current Eagles,” he disclosed.

There are so many things wrong with this ridiculously self-serving statement that I hardly know where to start. Let’s try the fact that upon resuming head coach duties, Amodu kept on the same players that the outgoing Berti Vogts had. By so doing, he indicated his belief that the problems the team was having was due to coaching, not playing ability.

The question now is ‘what has changed?’ He has the same crop of players that he did when he was accepting praise for the last round of qualifiers. Why is he responsible when the team does well but hindered by his players when they do not perform?

If we overlook that first point, there is still the fact that Amodu has been head coach for about a year. What changes has he made to the team in that time, in finding new players to cover the deficiencies of the older ones? This is the same man with the insanely myopic vision of not only using Europe-based players, but also only working with the faces he knows.

How about utility and timing? One gets the sense that this statement comes from a man who knows that his date with the guillotine approaches but tries to forestall it anyhow. Talk about a massive lowering of expectations: the #2 ranked team on the continent does not have enough good players to make the World Cup. Adding salt to the wound, Amodu continues that the disappointing performance against the Black Mambas was commendable. Commendable. Amodu thinks he’s hedging his bets. If the Eagles lose, he’ll just remind people that he’s been saying this for a while, and they should have seen it coming. If they win, he’ll want to claim some sort of coaching super-power.

This brings us to most important point in what it reveals about coach Amodu’s personality. The man is clinically narcissistic. A universal attribute of narcissists is that they do not believe that whatever problems or set-backs they have are their fault. It’s always someone or something out there that is causing their failure. Hence the coach blames his players. Lest we forget, it is the poor workman that blames his tools.

This outburst of Amodu’s is undermining and self-defeating (for the team) in a number of ways. He has abdicated an important duty of the coach, which is to protect his players and ensure their loyalty. Which of the players now would try to play their best for a coach who thinks they’re incompetent? Let us also remember that this is the same man who when outcry is directed at him, calls for patience and understanding but does not show the same to the players in his care. Perhaps Amodu needs to relearn what being a coach entails. A coach’s fundamental job is to inspire his team to win in any situation and be responsible for the team. Right now, Amodu does not understand either facet, and it shows.

I have not been one of those calling for Amodu’s ouster because I believe that changing coaches in the middle of a qualifying series would be debilitating for the team. However, Amodu’s words really make it seem as though he does not want the job anymore. In fact, the cynic in me is wondering if he’s doing this on purpose with the knowledge that he’ll be thrown out for that statement. But the solution is much simpler than that. If he does not desire World Cup glory, he should step off and let someone else on. Because for the player, for the coach, and for the nation, desire is the fuel that powers the engine of our World Cup dreams.

UPDATE: There are some who will maintain that we didn’t lose to Mozambique. I beg to differ. A draw (due to disallowed goals) is an effective loss.

Where, I ask were all the players when we got beat by Colombia? Where were they during the humiliating draw with Jamaica? But mention the World Cup and everyone comes running. As I have said before, Nigerian players need to internalize the fact that playing for your country is a privilege and an honor, not charity work that has the potential of making you look good (I’m talking to you, Joseph Yobo). And your national team does not improve by key talent missing training sessions and friendlies intended to hone team cohesion and technique.

However, the blame for this incredulous situation, one in which some players decide if and when they feel like playing, does not rest entirely with the players. Coach Shaibu Amodu is the chief enabler of this nonsense, with his myopic insistence on using foreign based players. Like that limitation is not enough, he “prefer[s] to stick to players [he has] worked with and who understand [his] ideas.” You read that right. Coach Amodu is telling his players that as long as we have a history, you can do whatever you want and still be assured a spot on the national team; we just hope you have the time and the inclination to honor our request. On a related note, I see Yobo was called up for the fixture against Mozambique as well (see below).

I was very excited when Amodu was renamed coach, and I thought that, this time, the Super Eagles really had everything it takes to go all the way. Talent-wise, we still do, but the leadership vacuum now seems insurmountable. Amodu has been criticized on all sides, and I hesitate to pile on. However, he needs to show his players some tough love, and also make them realize that they are not special. I know that sounds counter intuitive to a coach’s confidence-building task, but trust me, confidence is not a problem for our boys. Indeed, they could do with a bit less confidence, since they have nothing concrete like trophies to point to.

New rules need to be established for the national team. No matter your exploits in England, France, Italy or wherever, you need to prove yourself for NIGERIA on a consistent basis. There is no room for complacency at the national level and the players need to understand that they will be cut and/or relegated unless they display DESIRE, something that has been earnestly missed in the last few games.

The squad for the next qualifying game against Mozambique is listed below:
Goalkeepers: Vincent Enyeama (Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel), Austin Ejide (Bastia, France), Dele Aiyenugba (Bnei-Yehuda, Israel)
Defenders: Yusuf Mohammed, Obinna Nwaneri (both FC Sion, Switzerland), Onyekachi Apam (Nice, France), Taye Taiwo (Marseille, France), Chidi Odiah (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Joseph Yobo (Everton, England), Danny Shittu (Bolton, England), Dele Adeleye (Sparta Rotterdam, Holland)
Midfielders: Oluwafemi Ajilore (Groningen, Holland), Jon Mikel Obi (Chelsea, England), Nwankwo Kanu (Portsmouth, England), Sani Kaita (Rubin Kazan, Russia), Kalu Uche (Almeria, Spain)
Strikers: Ikechukwu Uche (Getafe, Spain), Obafemi Martins (Newcastle United, England), Chinedu Obasi (Hoffenheim, Germany), Obinna Nsofor (Inter Milan, Italy), Joseph Akpala (Club Brugge, Belgium), Osaze Odemwingie (Locomotive Moscow, Russia)

It’s been a few days, and I still don’t have any coherent thoughts about the friendly against Jamaica.
711football says many of the things that have been swirling around in my head, but that piece does not get to the crux of my problem. What is wrong with Nigerian football, and how do we fix it?
At this point, I would settle for the correct answer to the first part of the question: What is wrong with Nigerian football? I would not go as far as to call the team “Super Chickens,” but I cannot be the only fan wondering as of late: how Super are the Eagles?
The playful passion and pure joy that once defined our style is MIA and must be quickly recovered if we have any hope of even reaching South Africa. I think the problem flows from the bench on out, so Coach Amodu must somehow find a way to inspire his men to the greatness that they are capable of. How he does this, or if he even can, remains to be seen.

UPDATE: An example of the soft bigotry of low expectations: Goal.com’s match review headline. Quel triste.

Apparently, the choice of a team that in no way bears resemblance to any of our group opponents, and the mass defection of star players might not be that big a deal. I think the adage “Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want” applies to more than a few of the reasons listed.

Still, if you were looking for something to smile about, there really is no other option.

Of course, he is not to blame for that choice because he really does not have any options. In a match on which the world cup hopes of a nation rest, he has to put the best team on the field, even if that includes complete jackasses like Yobo, the perenially visa-less Vincent Enyeama, and the perpertually injured Obafemi Martins (Nigeria’s very own Louis Saha).

The take home lesson of Cali, Columbia is this: the Super Eagles as they currently exist are not a great team but a conglomeration of sometimes shining stars. Occasionally, the stars all (or mostly) shine together, and we witness a beautiful constellation. Mostly however, and increasingly lately, it’s been a few incoherent bright spots that might at times dazzle, but always lack a sense of completeness.