1. The Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) is currently taking place in South Africa. According to the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the tournament is a response to the desire to revive or strengthen national competitions regularly weakened by a mass exodus of top players. In addition, the confederation expects that this would facilitate the eventual integration of domestic players into the respective A-teams.
2. While the championships is limited to players from the domestic leagues, it still, technically, includes substantive national team players, as is the case for instance with a number of players from the Nigerian squad.
3. In a World Cup year, staging the tournament appears somewhat ironic given that CAF had advanced reasons to move AFCON to alternate years to avoid the world cup...
4. What is more, I am baffled by the decision of the Nigerian federation and coach Stephen Keshi to assume the responsibility of leading a team to the tournament, especially as there is no player in the squad playing at a level to realistically improve the Super Eagles. You would think a world cup bound coach has enough on his plate already!
5. The tournament itself has been quite spirited, even if the football has ranged from dire to average. One of the better games saw Nigeria deservedly defeat South Africa, 3-1.
6. The result and the overall performance left me wondering just what South Africa coach Gordon Igesund needs to do to get fired. With his face furrowed in a near permanent state of cluelessness, Igesund has supervised a team across tournaments and qualification series that is not only not improving, but is incapable of such!
7. As is typical of Keshi's teams, the Nigerian team has improved as the games have progressed. But for me that is besides the point, even while recognizing the commendable performance of the team.
8. There are no two senior national teams in football. Every senior national selection, whether classified a B or C team, ultimately feeds into the substantive national team.
9. Even by a most optimistic scenario, there is no new player in the current team that has the quality to address any of the weaknesses in the Super Eagles, or whose standard is high enough to be sufficiently developed to challenge for a place within four months.
10. So what then is the value of this tournament for Nigeria and coach Stephen Keshi in a world cup year? The best players so far in the Nigerian team, is arguably Ejike Uzoenyi and Rabui Ali. Uzoenyi has been on the national scene in the last 10 years, with multiple failed trials, including a recent stint at Rennes. Rabui Ali, if his listed age of 34 years is to be believed is no spring chicken!
I am a believer in evaluating projects on the basis of costs and benefits. And on that basis, the value of the time and other resources invested in the homebased project by Keshi is not commensurate with its paltry returns, especially when compared to the alternative players foregone in Europe.
I am a believer in evaluating projects on the basis of costs and benefits. And on that basis, the value of the time and other resources invested in the homebased project by Keshi is not commensurate with its paltry returns, especially when compared to the alternative players foregone in Europe.
11. One point made in support of the tournament is that it will help improve the domestic game in Nigeria. In my opinion, that is a long shot...Improving the domestic game requires sustained, systemic reforms in club football, none of which is seriously impacted by the performance of individual players at CHAN. The domestic game improves the national team and not vice versa...
12. So what then is the value of CHAN, especially considering that CAF already has two continental club championships which directly impact the domestic club game?
