Fortunately for him, he was pretty much part of the heyday. So he should know the burden of the expectations on him. Oliseh’s powerful strike that shocked Spain to defeat in the group stage of the 1998 world cup in France remains evergreen in the memories of many Nigerians and lovers of football globally. In fact, that thunderbolt goal is inarguably the climax of his career in the national team with 63 appearances for the country.
A member of the gold-winning Atlanta 1996 Olympic soccer squad; member of the victorious team of the African nations cup in 1994 as well as one of the debutants of the country’s colours at the world cup in same year in the USA, Oliseh enjoyed what can be described as a full honours national playing career that is the envy of many footballers. Added to a fulfilling club career which spans over a decade with relatively glorious stints in Germany, Holland, Belgium and Italy among others, Oliseh is one player who truly brought pride to Nigeria on the field of play.
In other words, he was a member of the elite crop of footballers who brought fame and acclaim to the Nigerian brand globally from around the mid 90s to early in the millennium. Given the successes he recorded, it can be said with little fear of contradictions that he came, played and conquered. This is how an article in Fifa.com described him: “ An Olympic gold medallist in 1996 and a hero of the Super Eagles’ 1998 FIFA World Cup bid courtesy of that fearsome strike against Spain, the athletic holding midfielder belonged to a golden generation of Nigerian talent that also featured Jay-Jay Okocha and Daniel Amokachi.” This was Sunday Oliseh as a player who retired to low profile professional coaching jobs and also acted as resource person in the analytics of the game for big media organizations like the BBC and Supersports.
And now here is same man recruited by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to save the game from further descent occasioned by successive application of mediocrity, political interference, managerial ineptitude and shameless dependence on good luck and prayers. The woeful performances of the super eagles in recent times especially the scandalous failure to qualify for the 2015 African cup of nations in spite of being the defending champion was one heavy straw that broke the camel’s back for Stephen Keshi, Oliseh’s predecessor on the job. Recall that Keshi also came to the national team job with great pedigree and promises. It can be said that he did his best and exhausted his capacities. For instance, he stands as the only Nigerian coach who won the African nation’s cup both as a player (captain of the squad) and coach in 1994 and 2013 respectively. But Nigerians have become continually embarrassed by the sliding fortunes of their national team and desire a messiah to come to the rescue. They desire a return of the days when Nigerian football was admired and the country’s soccer stars adored with sensational respect globally.
They want a live replay and constant rematch of the midfield dribbling artistry of Austin Jay Jay Okocha; the goal-scoring gangling skills of Kanu Nwankwo; the goal rain days of late Rashidi Yekini; the bullish attacking drive of Daniel Amokachi; the head spinning nods of Mutiu Adepoju and of course, the defending strength of Taribo West; and the safe hands of Peter Rufai among many others. Beyond these, the nation craves the daring and victory-hungry spirit of the likes of Segun Odegbami, Adokiye Amesiemeka, Muda Lawal, Henry Nwosu and their contemporaries of the time that won the 1980 African cup of nations. They await to the days of dominance in African football. All through these periods the world watched with awe and pleasant surprise as Nigerian football progressed from the early days of sheer grit and sturdy strength to the annals of crowning celebrations and victorious acclaim.
It was a great pride to be identified as a Nigerian abroad as the names of the country’s stars stay on the lips of fans worldwide who were perpetually delighted at the brightness of the football firmament shining from the West African nation. Soccer invented and conferred a soft power advantage on Nigeria unrivalled by any other sport. Nor indeed by any other national activity of universal note. It could be said rightly at the time that the country was recognised abroad by its oil wealth and soccer strength. Just by being identified as a compatriot of Okocha and Kanu immediately conferred certain goodwill on Nigerians abroad until the scourge of internet scams showed up to blight a good image. Countries like Brazil are immediately identified by its soccer prowess built decades ago. Soccer and samba are the soft power elements that set Brazil out before anything else. Nigeria enjoyed some of these soccer advantages.
But since the late 1990s a decline set in and has kept Nigerian soccer spinning on a downward path. The country now fumbles and wobbles in both continental and world competitions. In fact, things got bad enough that in 2010 the government banned the national team from participating in international competitions for years. It took a blackmail from world governing body, FIFA, to reverse that controversial decision. Nigerian players that used to be celebrated in top leagues in Europe have been confined to teams in less fashionable divisions with some struggling with relegations. Continental recognitions and awards like the CAF African footballer of the year which used to be more like the preserve of Nigerian players have eluded them for many years now. This overall decline is the heavy burden now passed on to Sunday Oliseh by fate and fortune through the instrumentality of Pinnick Amaju’s NFF.
To be sure, Oliseh will not be the first and may not be the last erstwhile soccer star summoned from retirement to coach the national team. He has examples in Stephen Keshi, Samson Siasia, Christian Chukwu and Austin Eguavuen among a few others who handled the task with little or no success. He even has examples in other countries like Brazil and France, where ex soccer stars have been engaged as coaches with relative outcomes. Given these antecedents, Oliseh can choose the path he intends to pursue. Failure or success depends on him. Though to be fair to him, his tenure as coach will also be dependent on the many avoidable intricacies and pitfalls often contrived by football administrators and power mongers in Nigeria. But he must make a clear road map for success visible to all Nigerians.
And of course with the hope of resuscitating the country’s soft power in the sports. It must be said without any ambiguity that the authorities who hired Oliseh and other layers which supervise them should provide him the convenient environment to work and deliver on the demands of his contract. The Nigerian government and citizens generally must decide that now is the time to vigorously and consistently pursue a restoration of the lost soccer glory. And by extension, reclaim the values and gains of a veritable soft power. At the end of the day, it goes beyond Sunday Oliseh. And maybe, just maybe, all other things done aright, he can succeed to make Nigerian soccer great again.
No comments:
Post a Comment