Why Dalung will remain an angry boss to Pinnick – Ejiro Omonode

By Ediale Kingsley

So just as the NFF election got wrapped up and the winner announced. Just about that time, I was with a senior veteran in the business of sports reporting.

I, Ediale Kingsley, was seated in Ejiro Omonode’s office, some few blocks away from the National Daily office in Ikeja. It was a moment for me to learn from the master.

And the co-founder of Masters Sports International was willing to share his vast knowledge of Nigerian football with me.

We discussed a lot about Nigerian football. The league, the super eagles, and players that played long before I formed my love for the game, we even talked about Victor Moses father in his playing days (a long story for another day, yes he is alive and well in Benin).

The NFF election has been conducted, it’s been won and lost. The voters decided to return the man who worked the magic that saw us qualify for the World Cup from an Africa Qualifiers Group of Death that had Algeria, Zambia, and Cameroon.

Omonode feels although Zambia had their internal struggles and challenges yet it was also quite a notable achievement to have qualified from such a group.

He acknowledged other key reasons why Amaju Pinnick was reelected President of the NFF. Other notable factors were the ways he had managed the welfare of the World Cup squad, and how the preparations towards the World Cup had been top notched.

We played top teams on our way to Russia, there were no salary and bonus complaints, and no issues about logistics.

So Amaju is returned. Reelected. What next?

We know the drama that trailed Amaju’s tenure. Up to the elections. We know about the various dramas that were almost going to fetch us a FIFA Ban.

How the Minister of Nigeria’s Sport, Solomon Dalung, for justifiable and unjustifiable reasons would attempt to give backings to the aggrieved Chris Giwa. Giwa had gotten a legal judgment that was interpreted to favor him becoming the NFF president.

And even though he had taken the matter to the FIFA Court of Arbitration — before the latest post World Cup brouhaha — and had gotten a judgment that wasn’t favorable to him, Giwa was bent on becoming the President of the NFF through the help of the present Government.

It was reported that Giwa actually went with the Government force to take over the glass house (NFF Headquarters). At this point, lovers of Nigerian Football panicked and feared the worst that could happen — FIFA ban.

Apparently, while this saga happened. Amaju was in Ghana, attending a FIFA function.

Back to Omonode, “We (himself and Mitchel Obi) were with him (Amaju) on Saturday. We asked how he was going to cope with the Minister. He said it is God that will see them through. He can only rely on God’s intervention…”

And therein lies the answer to the What Next question. They can only pray to God, while they manage the situation. “They must just keep managing the minister”.

Omonode reminded me that Dalung remains the boss, “we must not forget that the sports minister is the boss. And a situation where you are not in line with your boss, the matter isn’t any pleasing”.

This will affect the funding activities under the NFF presidency. Already we saw how there was the direct approach the ministry took in paying the Falconets and co.

Omonode says, “the sponsors came around for the World Cup sake. And so it was easy settling the bills and etc. Now the World Cup is over. How will Amaju get funds if the ministry isn’t going to support his tenure?”

“Dalung wanted the election postponed. So obviously he would remain angry that the process even took place against his wish.”

So we see that the battle seems won, but the war appears to still exist. The debate or issue of the football administration being addressed and operated as NFF or NFA, the issue that our football management is still a subject under the Nigerian law is still quite there to deal.

Dalung wants to give ear to the Nigerian law. But FIFA doesn’t agree to such subjections and objections.

Some persons agree with him that matters that bother on the fundamental human rights are subject to the laws of the land. But those in tune with the global practice as it concerns with Football knows that FIFA frowns at such.

The natural thinking is that the storm is over since Giwa has started running for a senatorial position under PDP and Amaju winning the reelection to becoming the first incumbent to get returned after a very long time, under the eyes of FIFA and CAF.

However, we must understand that the law doesn’t say a Senator can’t become the NFF President. Omonode said, “the NFF president is not supposed to be a full-time job”.

So if Giwa gets the Senatorial seat. That may just be more power to cause more trouble. But he would have won as PDP and the present Government being APC would present a situation.

However, there’s calm at the moment. The minister hasn’t spoken about the reelection. Silence doesn’t mean consent here.

Omonode talks, “he has said he doesn’t acknowledge the election. The minister didn’t endorse the election. As far as Dalung is concerned, the Amaju led team are not legally fit to organize and plan an election”.

So the way forward appears to wait on fate. The 2019 elections could bring a permanent solution. The presidency could change. Omonode doesn’t see the minister returning irrespective of PMB winning or losing the 2019 elections.

Omonode also thinks this NFF presidency saga persist because of the PMB’s lack of interests in football. But even more about the President’s lack of asserting his authority. “People don’t do what he orders, many just read his body language and act accordingly, but he hasn’t really been able to drive down his intentions. And this is across the board, not just football”.

So Omonode and I agree to leave all to fate. It’s funding that will likely pose the biggest challenge. And Amaju can’t go crying to FIFA that the Government isn’t funding. “They don’t even expect the NFF to get funded by the Government”.

So we ended that subject on that note but we reviewed the World Cup. Omonode agrees that the dramas prevented us from balancing the World Cup books, as par review and take-home lessons.

“We really didn’t do well at the World Cup. We have an average coach and an average squad. Take Victor Moses, Mikel Obi and maybe Musa Ahmed we are left with average footballers. I was with them in Russia, saw their training, hanged around the squad in the hotel. But they were not really like the Okochas, Olisehs etc. Even from the goalkeeping position. We didn’t have the Enyeama quality. We had average squad” says Omonode.

And I wondered what we have to do to change the status quo. Omonode thinks we must go back to grassroots for good. Not the situation where every young player is prematurely shipped to play abroad. He talked about the old times. Using himself as an example.

“As a kid, we had white coaches coming to develop our talents in schools. I was playing the golf and tennis. I had the manager’s keen interest and focus. And as such kept developing well. I won a lot of trophies”.

So we need scouts going to streets and building the players from the streets. Omonode mentions how players like Kanu Nwankwo, Osazee Odewingie and co were discovered.

He talked about the grits of some of our old players. How discipline was a thing.

“Another thing is also about having good players and having the right coaches that will play them based on merits. We had one coach, at the grassroots level, those days that would say even if you could trap the ball with your teeth and you didn’t do the needful bribing, you wouldn’t make his team”.

So the issue of the big boys settling coaches to be a part of the squad is a thing to tackle.

I also asked Omonode if he agrees with people who think Amaju is just a president of the Super Eagles. How he has neglected other categories under the NFF.

“Clearly the Super Eagles is the brand everyone follows. That’s the peak from all the Under 23s, the 20s, 17s. It brings the money and has the followers. The Under teams are suppose to just be developmental.

And these teams are supposed to develop in their communities. What do they need? Good pitches in communities with security. And as for the Female football, we all know it really hasn’t been able to command the sponsors and followers like the Super Eagles”.

From all I heard from Ejiro Omonode, we surely at some point in our football history got it right. Players were discovered from Secondary Schools and streets.

The development process was also something that was quite remarkable.

He talked about a plan by some ex-internationals, “they plan to divide themselves into zones. And go into the grassroots communities to find and develop players. A thing the soccer academies are supposed to do but for the commercialized nature may not truly get right. Since the poor but very talented may not get admitted. What we need is an open field. The poor, the rich, coming to show what they have”.