As at the time on November 28, 2021 when Gernot Rohr submitted the Nigerian provisional list for the Africa Nations Cup (AFCON), a team five years in making, there were reasonable grounds to expect a proper Nigerian challenge for the title.
Over these past five years, a competitive squad had emerged with a mix of top young players and experienced players, and especially with options in several positions to allow for proper internal competition for places. In defence however, quality options continued to be limited.
Still, with the excellent Wilfred Ndidi screening in front of the back four, there were reasonable grounds to expect defensive solidity.
In terms of the team play and the development of the team's game, the Nigerian game had not progressed since the last AFCON, and with unexpected losses at home to Central Africa Republic, a manager of five years was expectedly under pressure.
A conservative manager continued to string along, with a football that was as inspiring as watching paint dry, and a demeanor that reminded one of the Godfather character Ayman Roth...
Two and half weeks from the release of the list, Nigeria would fire its manager and Augustine Eguavoen appointed as interim manager. Eguavoen would formally meet his full team at the AFCON venue in Cameroon and would reportedly hold only three sessions, including a practice match, before its opening encounter to Egypt.
In explaining the decision to fire the manager with about 13 days to the tournament opener, the Nigeria Football Federation President, Amaju Pinnick would state that the intervention was made to "avert a disaster".
Recall that it is the same Pinnick that resisted the initial clamor to separate from the manager post World Cup 2018, then resisted making a decision on the manager post AFCON 2019, each time pointing to the big picture perspective...
But with 13 days to the tournament, decides that Nigeria faced looming disaster and thus needed to fire the manager.
Not once in several press appearances did Mr Pinnick identify the indicative factors that led to this conclusion, nor a thoroughly compliant and useless Nigerian sporting press corps question him properly to justify this decision.
Nigeria would thus, ironically, snatch a second round exit from a potential AFCON title challenge! From a potential AFCON challenge to a second round exit, after having only played a proper half of football!!
The Pinnick rhapsody is unfortunately typical of the kind of hubris that surrounds decision making by Nigerian public officials, with little or no critical thinking and zero consultations with credible experts.
The Nigerian exit to Tunisia is entirely on the NFF President Amaju Pinnick!
The results from the group games cannot and should not absolve him from the disaster that he manufactured and the one that ultimately befell Nigeria. Football is not that simple that we can serially make bad decisions and expect to be successful!
Its more than two years since Nigeria appeared in any FIFA youth tournaments.
The Nigerian domestic league continues to flounder.
Player salaries cannot be guaranteed. Coaching and player development is decades behind modern trends,
And in response, the NFF President Amaju Pinnick has now fully outsourced the development of national team players to the diaspora!
Nigerian football, like a troubadour continues to traverse the football landscape, but unlike a Dennis Brutus poetry, with neither rhyme nor reason.
And now on comes José Vítor dos Santos Peseiro as new manager.
What is his philosophy of the game? How does that sync with our football culture and quality of available players? What is the long term vision?
Who is asking these questions?
Listen to Pinnick: "We are proud of the efforts of the players. They gave their all and tried very hard to win even when they had numerical disadvantage. It was just not our day," he said Link.
Just like that, a troubadour continues to traverse.....
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