All the stones are hurled at George Finidi. The blames are poured on him. Of course, he should accept the faults as Head Coach. But I really wonder why the players are exempted from the blame game. Nobody is talking about the players.
Players who stroll into camp hours to a crucial game yet some influential persons would order them to pick first team shirts? Players who would pick or select games they play? Players who would feign injuries in national team camp, fly back to their clubs and 48 hours after, they play League games for their clubs?
Players who have agents within the Football House and among some influential officials to do their biddings? Players enjoying the influence of reports from their media aides to gain national team invitations?
Players who forgo crucial fixtures like the World Cup qualifiers to play city derbies for clubs. Players who respect and even fear their club managers but toy with national team coaches.
We have forgotten so soon that there was a time, players were begging to be on the bench of Super Eagles. Yes, players were happy to be substitutes because they know that those on the pitch truly deserve to be in the first team.
Then players even pay their ways to fly into the country to honour invitations and claim the money spent on ticket back from the NFF. Then players.
I think it is time, we return Super Eagles to where the team was years ago. It is time to return to the days of laws and orderliness. It is time to reintroduce the Code of Conduct. It is time to separate the goats from the sheep. It is time to sift the wheat from the chaff.
A set of laws should be made to whip the players into line. The excesses of some of the players need to be checked. It is a matter of shipping in or shipping out. It is a matter of playing by the rules or getting knocked by the rules.
What a player cannot do to his club manager, he shouldn’t try with the national team coach. There must be a fixed date for players to resume camping and once the last date elspses no player should be allowed into camp.
How players respond to invitations most times determine the result the national team secures in the fixture at hand. There shouldn’t be room for nonchalance or lackadaisical attitude.
This takes us to the issue of home based players. Once the local boys are given opportunities to play in the national team, it reduces the snubbish and arrogant attitude of some of the foreign based players. The team must be made competitive….talking about positions.
We once had a national team where there are four players in each position. We have to return to that plan which encourages the players in the domestic scene.
DESMOND EKWUEME
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