Please adopt a local pro league club

Please adopt a local pro league club 23 Aug 2015 12:00 AM  time there was when football fans in Nigeria were regularly thrilled by their idols who, though amateurs, probably honed their skills in school fields and more readily available open spaces. There was no cable television and few people had access to local television. And as only recorded matches of the English clubs were broadcast here from time to time they did not attract much attention, especially as African players rarely featured in them. Their hearts and minds were therefore with their own Dan Anyams, ‘Thunder’ Baloguns, Albert Onyeawunas, AmusaShittus, HarunaIlerikas, InuaRigogos, Sam GarbaOkoyes, MudaLawals, Emmanuel Okalas, Josiah Dombrayes, KunleAwesus, Christian Chukwus, SegunOdegbamis, etc.These and other great Nigerian players gallantly represented club and country, and I salute them. But, let me make it clear that the occasional trophies and medals that they won could be more accurately attributed to their endowment and sheer guts than any carefully thought-through, early athlete-preparation regime by the country whose honour and prestige they strived to protect and project. Let us be reminded once again that at the Soccerex seminar in Lagos from September 27-28, 2012, Pierre Van Hooijdonk, acclaimed Dutch ex-international football star, disclosed that first-class sports facilities with trained personnel to guide children in sports were common place in Europe. Of course, it was puzzling to him that many Africans who never had such a privilege in their childhood back home could still come to Europe in adulthood and compete favourably. He could only imagine how much better we would perform if we gave our budding talents similar early attention. Nigerians are among the most widely travelled people in the world. There is practically no part of the world with significant human population that you will not find our people actively engaged in various fields of human endeavour. We witness how other societies work and are usually full of admiration for them. But, why we do not apply knowledge acquired from our extensive sojourns when we come back home should be a matter of grave concern. I hope I am not the only one that feels terribly embarrassed when we invite foreigners to come and ‘educate’ us on things we should have known or probably already knew. In fact, these facilities are not relevant only for sports sake, but as a means of facilitating mass participation in sports as a health-inducing activity. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) only thirty minutes of exercise every day can significantly enhance a feeling of well-being and dramatically reduce cases of obesity and cardio-vascular challenges, among other benefits. Nevertheless, regarding the popular contention that our football was ‘glorious’ in the past, we would probably ‘see’ the past better if we did not view it through rose-coloured spectacles. During preparation for the Africa Cup of Nations that we won for the first time in 1980, ‘Coach’ Otto Gloria made it clear to us that every player in the team was expected to have been thoroughly groomed in the rudiments of the game in a youth team. The main responsibility of the gaffer in the senior team of a country or club, he maintained, was to ‘Manage ready-made players and plot match strategies and team tactics’. Truth be told, many members of even that historic team did not pass through such structured process and were handicapped in several fundamental skills. And for the others that had been members of youth teams, the quality of attention and content of coaching left much to be desired. For instance, most coaches would talk about ‘technique’ without putting emphasis on ‘poise’, and would not seriously address attitude challenges like playing to the gallery when in the lead. These, among others, are matters that are best taken care of when players are in their formative years. We feel that the ‘old days’ were ‘so good’ because we did not have much to compare them to as the circumstances of many African opponents with whom we regularly played were not much different from ours. Our inadequacies usually only became very obvious during playing tours of Europe and South America. To my mind, our players have never been ‘thoroughly refined, finished products’. The ‘raw materials’ could be very good, but the ‘production line’ has never been properly laid out. That is why even at elite level we have been forced to depend so much on our acclaimed natural abilities without much more. But, there is cable television now and every week fans in Nigeria see the best of football, often in real time. Now, nothing less, even if it is our own, will be acceptable. And that is why we must do something about it. Unfortunately, it has become our trademark to litter our every path with challenging hurdles. Recall that our premier league clubs are sponsored by various state governments? These are the same clubs that must compete with the EPL for our viewership. Now, is there any football loving governor who is not publicly known to have a favourite club in the EPL? As it is with the chief executives of many states so it is with members of their respective state executive councils. Ministers and legislators are not left out either. So, too, are top media personalities who make no bones about their undying love for their teams in the EPL. Of course, there is nothing wrong with loving any club of your choice from any part of the world. But, if you are sponsoring a club in your domestic league that is virtually dead, or, you occupy a position of prestige, authority and influence, what message would you send to children at an impressionable age if the state of affairs in the league in your backyard does not mean anything to you? Yes, you can support a foreign club if you must, but please adopt a local team and make effort to support it too. Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: editor@punchng.com