The Nigerian Football Association (NFA) is something alright. I have always marveled at their consistent ability to get exactly nothing right. My first recollection of this peculiar power was an ill-fated bid to host the 2002 World Cup that was over before it even began due to “administrative issues” = “We screwed up.” At the time, no one fussed as much because there was never any chance that we were gonna get to host the games anyways.

Fast-forward to 2006, Nigeria has just narrowly missed out on going to Germany and the coach comes out to say that they’ll have to cancel a friendly with Ghana because he did not know about it and he would not have enough time to raise a team. I was shocked to the point of incoherence. How could such a situation even be possible? I still do not have a good answer.

What does any of this have to do with anything, you ask? Well, the NFA is once again living up to its reputation. See Vincent Enyeama and Ikechukwu Uche vent their frustrations to BBC Sport because someone in Abuja could not be bothered to send out a couple of letters on time. Given the quality and fitness of the young players we have right now, Nigeria has a really good shot at the gold medal. Should not all our efforts be directed at making this possible? Instead we have some blubbering blustering about how FIFA has to intervene. Well, Mr. Ademola Olajire, if y’all had done your jobs in the first place, there would be no need for FIFA’s intervention, would there?

I apologize to all for this ranting screed, but I wonder sometimes how Nigeria preserves its reputation as a football powerhouse with such an ineffectual and sometimes destructive FA. Can you imagine just how far the Super Eagles could go with competent management? My heart breaks at the very thought.

This must be the ‘chicken or the egg’ question for football. What do you think? Joga bonito ou joga vitorioso?

Jay-Jay Okocha formally retired from football this past week. 20,000 fans gathered in the torrential rain to watch his farewell match. Arguably the best player that Nigeria has ever fielded, he has already been missed since his retirement from international football in 2006. He has left a vacuum that is still unfilled, and coach Shaibu Amodu acknowledged the impact his absence has had on the national team: “Okocha knew how to talk to the ball and deliver it to the right person, something that most players of today are still learning the ropes.”

Okocha was regularly selected for the national team since 1993 until his international retirement, and was instrumental in many victories. His role as a play-maker cannot be over-emphasized, as that is an unteachable quality. He was a joy to watch on the field, constantly reminding us of why it is called “The Beautiful Game.”

As captain, Okocha was an inspiration to his team, frequently playing through injuries and always giing the game his all. His talent and professionalism paved the way for many players that followed, and he was a player that epitomized the idea that playing for your country is a honor and privilege, not a burden or obligation, like so many others treat it.

In the space of 15 years, Jay-Jay Okocha played his way into our minds and hearts, and he will be sorely missed. Please marvel with me at the awesomeness of our prolific #10:
Jay-Jay the Skill-man

So why this insistently nagging feeling that something dire is about to happen? On the merits of it, the Super Eagles are more technically proficient than they’ve ever been. They’re showing just about as much discipline as I’ve ever seen them display and team unity is at an all time high. Quotes like this from football365 certainly don’t hurt.

Are Nigeria the best team in Africa right now? Statistically speaking, the answer to that question is yes. Nigeria are one of two sides with a perfect record of four wins out of four in qualifying (Burkina Faso are the other). The Super Eagles were also the first nation to reach the second round of qualifying and Shaibu Amodu’s men have yet to concede a goal and have netted a dozen times.

So why can’t I just be and enjoy the high?

Maybe it’s because as a Super Eagles fan, I remember the devastating crash on the brink of glory. Most recently think back to Germany2006 qualifiers. We made some stumbles, but we recovered well enough to make it on points, only to be done in by head to head match-ups against this team.

It might be that as an avid watcher of the team, I know that the biggest obstacle to the Super Eagles is the Super Eagles. There’s also the fact that our qualifying group is just not a challenging one. Will we still stay on form if we have to fight Cameroon or Senegal for a spot in SA2010. It is most unfortunate that none of the giants of African football made it to Germany in 2006, as they are all spoiling for their chance now. Will we get in our own way, as we almost always do?

I can only hope that the answer to that question is no. There is no reason for the Super Eagles to lapse in their form. And it might just be that our time is now. Speaking as a fan of our awesome Golden Boys, Go EAGLES!

On Sunday, the Super Eagles played the Bafana Bafana in Abuja with great success. On the merit of technical soundness and overwhelming possession (65%) and two first half goals (10′ Ikechuckwu Uche, 44′ Obinna Nwaneri), the Super Eagles dominated South Africa. In the words of Nwankwo Kanu, “It was a good game, and we are back.”

In my mind, Coach Shaibu Amodu convincingly passed his first test back at the helm of the team. South Africa could not crack the defense he put together, and all their efforts at goal were restricted to long-range attempts. There were still gaps and a couple of squandered opportunities, but overall, this team definitely has the capability of making the World Cup.

The impact of the home field advantage should not be minimized in this match, as the crowd’s enthusiasm was virtually a 12th man on the Nigerian team. We are away to Sierra Leone in two days, and that match should prove telling about our away form.

While we are ranked higher than the Leone Stars in almost every way imaginable, football would not be as beautiful or as exciting without the potential for stinging upsets. Sierra Leone want this badly, but we should want it more. I hope the team take this game very seriously, as nothing, especially not our carelessness or cockiness should deny us a spot at SA2010.

UPDATE: I’m not sure how I got the impression that the EG and SL match ended in a scoreless draw. This post has been edited to reflect the actual fact.

Shaibu Amodu was appointed the national team coach last month with the express mandate of qualifying for SA2010. Our qualifying group includes Equatorial Guinea, Sierra Leone and South Africa, who are already guaranteed a spot in the Cup as host country. Amodu has previously coached the Super Eagles in 1996 and 2002 when he led the team to qualify for the World Cup and the African Cup of Nations. Can he lead us out of the trophyless wilderness of the past 12 years and into the Promised Land of World Cup greatness?

Amodu is assisted in this gargantuan task by Daniel Amokachi, Alloy Agu and Fatai Amoo, all of whom have donned the national jersey at some point. Whether that will help their mission any remains to be seen.

Goalkeepers: Dele Aiyenugba, Austin Ejide, Vincent Enyeama
Defenders: Onyekachi Apam, Elderson Echiejile, Yusuf Mohamed, Obinna Nwaneri, Chidi Odiah, Danny Shittu, Taye Taiwo, Joseph Yobo
Midfielders: Yusuf Ayila, Uche Kalu, Haruna Lukman, John Obi Mikel, Seyi Olofinjana, Ike Uche
Forwards: Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Victor Anichebe, Nwankwo Kanu, Obafemi Martins, Obinna Nsofor, Peter Odemwingie, Kayode Odejayi, Emmanuel Okoduwa, John Utaka

For now, they have announced their team for the qualifiers as listed above. Right off the bat, it seems overly dependent on strikers, which creates a number of issues, some of which Emmanuel touched on previously. This lineup is woefully deficient in the midfield, and not much better in the defense. Since it is almost impossible to win any tournament without a coherent defense, Amodu’s task becomes an uphill journey. This team does not include any players from the Nigerian Leagues, which indicates to me a lack of vision in discovering new talent. Amodu is notorious for that, having gone on the record in the past as not recruiting from the local teams.

This group also bears a strong resemblance to Berti Vogt’s Nation’s Cup cohort, and we all witnessed how well that worked out. I hope I’m just being overly pessimistic and that the team will execute each qualifying match with flawless precision. Amodu has done some good work in the past and with any luck he will be able to do even better.

My name is Lola and I will be covering the Nigeria World Cup Blog. I am blogging from the east coast of the United States where I am currently in graduate school. Football is a great passion of mine, as it has been since the Super Eagles made their World Cup debut in 1994. I plan to follow the team through the qualifiers and hopefully to the trophy. I am optimistic about our chances this time around and I think that we can do something truly special in South Africa. I look forward to a very enjoyable ride and I look forward to sharing it with you.

Special thanks to Daryl at The Offside Blog for helping me get set up here.

Much has gone on in the NFA and Berti Vogts seems to be on the winning end. The Nigerian Football Association has never disappointed me as they usually take the line of action I expect them to take: a foolish one.

Last i heard was that Mr. Vogts has gone to FIFA to fight his impending sack and i am not against this but only against the fact that a country like Nigeria could have been cowed into signing such a tight end contract with the German tactician(If you call him that).

It’s been all NFA. Question here is, is it still necessary to sack this man? If so can we afford to pay the alleged $1.5 million? Is that a good investment for us? It is really annoying, embarrassing and an insult to note that the same NFA who cry out all the time for paucity of fund have pushed themselves into this kind of trap. I am aware Nigeria wasn’t too desperate for Vogts. To have signed such a contract depicts us as a country of fools. Well we can limit that to the people in the Glass House.

Still on the home front, our mediocre local teams Eyimba, Gombe and co will be out on the continental games and from indications so far, we are set for another shameful run. Not trying to be a prophet of doom. Just stating the obvious.

Today the most important thing in the world of football will be staged at Old Trafford and all eyes will be focused there from the blast of the whistle.

Manchester United will be looking to revenge their defeat by Arsenal in the FA Cup Final about 4 seasons ago. Arsenal is much depleted for injury. However both teams may field a relatively weak team but i suspect both Managers are just trying to out smart each other. So let’s braze up for an explosive encounter. In essence, enjoy your selves and hope the NFA gets it right. They are saddled with vogts and he is proving to be a big lumb to vomit.

Emmanuel Is the Admin of Naija Football Fans Forum

Emmanuel is the admin of Naija Football Fans Forum