The FIFA World Cup 2010 will finally come to an end on Sunday (July 11) in Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium in South Africa when Spain engages Holland in the final. The winner shall emerge between these two European soccer power houses who have never lifted the world trophy in its 80-year history. On June 11th the FIFA world cup began on a glorious note with 32 participating national teams and today we have only four national sides left: Netherlands, Spain, Uruguay and Germany. It is an understatement to say here that this year’s event is not only historic but bizzare in many ways. Historic because it is the very first time in its long history that the global prestigious paramount soccer event is being staged in an African continent. Historic because it is being organized in Mandela-land, the Rainbow nation known for its cultural heritage and national Apartheid antecedents.
The 2010 World Cup in South Africa is bizzare in some senses. The big footballing nations like Brazil, France, England, Italy had fallen by the wayside early enough signalling dwindling fortunes on their parts and significant soccer-mastering improvements in other climes. Brazil have taken the global diadem a record five times, Italy four times, Germany three times and Argentina twice whereas Holland had been two-time unlucky reaching the final and failing to capture gold on two occasions. Spain, on the other hand, have never reached the finals in spite of its arsenal of soccer stars and championship clubs. Between Spain and Holland whichever team that wins the Sunday game will be making history as the first timer, and that is good for the development of the beautiful game.
The FIFA World Cup 2010 is bizzare by way of Vuvuzelas and the Jabulani ball controversy. The vuvuzela fever has captured the whole landscape of South Africa and even beyond. The deafening vuvuzela trumpet-blowing inside the stadia and even outside has given much melodious colour to the global fiesta the African style. Inside some stadia the noise emanating from the vuvuzelas was so much that referees’ whistles on the field of play were consumed in the festival of confusing vuvuzela rythms. At certain times the organizers even considered withdrawing the vuvuzelas but abandoned the thought when it dawned on them that the vuvuzela has a stake in this special world cup in an African soil.
The Jabulani ball was specially designed by Adidas for the South Africa 2010 World Cup. But even before the commencement of soccer hostilities in Jo’burg early last month controversy has trailed the ball’s features. While FIFA insisted that the ball has been tried and tested and therefore certified fit for the competition many soccer stars and administrators from many countries still maintained their reservations. From Nigeria the Super Eagles goal tender Vincent Enyeama criticised the Jabulani saying it would disgrace many a goal-keeper in South Africa. And soon enough we saw the Jabulani at work swerving and getting the better part of world-class goal-keepers from Algeria, England, Italy, Brazil etc.
Diego Armando Maradona, the Argentine Coach, came to South Africa as a bizzare one. He made some official requests (like the upgrading of his bathroom) which were granted by the organizing authorities even before his arrival. Apart from wearing two wrist-watches (one with SA time and the other with home time) Maradona acted true to type in the field of play behaving much like a movie mega-star. The dimunitive ex-soccer idol exhibited certain junky traits that could be traced to his ugly days as a narco addict. But fans at home and abroad still love Maradona even though his arrogance and wierd lifestyle rankles not a few.
The Argentine star-studded side was eliminated in quarter-finals by the German Machine much to Maradona’s consternation. Diego has said that upon winning the world cup he would run the streets of Buenos Aires naked! Lionel Messi and his team won all their matches before Germany spoilt the party with a 4-0 drubbing. Brazil was sent home by Holland, France by South Africa and Italy by Paraguay. In the quarter-finals stage the South American teams were dominating but when the coast cleared, the dust settled Europe bounced back to reckoning by stopping Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina in their tracks.
Among the 32 teams that went for gold in South Africa six were from the African continent: Algeria, Cameroun, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa. Excepting Ghana the other five teams were knocked out in the first round with the most painful being the way and manner the Super Eagles mismanaged their chances against South Korea. All Nigeria needed was to have beaten the South Koreans with just a goal to advance to the next stage with Argentina having beaten Greece. But Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Obafemi Martins broke the hearts of millions of soccer-loving Nigerians when they effortlessly embraced failure while kicking the ball out of the post to hand the Koreans an undeserved victory. After the Sani Kaita red-card episode in a match against less-fancied Greece Nigerians had thought the worst was over. By snatching defeat from the jaws of victory the Lars Lagerback-led Super Eagles demonstrated certain yawning inability to make good use of rare opportunity reminiscent of the Nigerian character.
President Goodluck Jonathan reacted by decreeing out the national teams for two years period within which to fix the rot that is the Nigerian football. The decision was bold, patriotic and popular but hasty and inconsistent with the FIFA rules. It reminded observers of the Babangida and Sani Abacha Jackboot days. The rot did not start today and may never end with the Jonathan presidency.
FIFA however would not have any of such interference of government in the running of footbal affairs. The world soccer governing body warned Nigeria of dire consequencies in the event of failure by the government to annul its decision in this regard. President Jonathan after much politicking rescinded his decision. I believe banning the Super Eagles for two years is not the solution to our international soccer woes. Corruption has eaten so deep in the management system that a total overhaul is necessary.
Nigeria was first Yakubued politically when the then Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon out of youthful exuberance declared in early 70’s to the whole world that Nigeria had money but no idea on how to use it! Nigeria was almost Yakubued soccer-wise in the qualifying series of the world cup when a miracle was needed for us to be able to stop Tunisia from taking our slot. It took the desperate defeat of Kenya on home-soil and the beating of Tunisia by Mozambique in Maputo before Nigeria could book a place in the world cup finals in South Africa.
Nigeria was Yakubued again when a hired plane that would have flown the squad to South Africa days before the opening ceremony suddenly developed ‘technical problems’ in London. It took the intervention of the Sports Minister and the hiring of another airline in Nigeria before the boys could be flown to SA. Another Yakubu syndrome of shame was introduced when the low-rated hotel booked was rejected at the last minute on arrival. Another better hotel accommodation was secured but not after the image of Nigeria was Yakubued.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni is a disgrace to his fatherland but we must not crucify him! We have a lot of hits and misses in the world cup like Asamoah Gyan missing a last-second penalty that would have catapulted Ghana (and Africa in general) to the Semi-finals of the world cup. Like the Ghanaian Captain John Mensah playing his penalty kick as if nothing was at stake! Yakubu is a product of Nigeria so Nigeria is a Yakubuland, a blessed land flowing with oil and gas, a potential great nation where poverty and misery have elected home.
Nigeria is being Yakubued on a daily basis by politicians of fortune whose greed remains incomparable. The Yakubuing will never stop until we put a definite stop to it through an electoral r
evolution that could happen next year with Prof. Attahiru Jega as the INEC boss.
The cheerless story of Nigeria resembles in some ways the sad story of Yakubu Aiyegbeni, a star footballer who reportedly shines bright abroad in the English club where he plies his trade but flops at the national side, at the service of his fatherland. His dismal performance in particular and the Super Eagles in general sharply mirrors our descent as a potential great nation in the woods. Every now and then we see flashes of hope for a new beginning but soon after the demons return to draw blood and arrest development throwing the dreams away and mortgaging the future further down the drain.
Nigeria is Yakubued again when people talk about the PDP zoning arrangement that rewards mediocrity in the place of merit. We are Yakubued as a people when the spirit of money (and its acquisition by hook or by crook) takes away our conscience and turns on the worst in us. Nigeria is inhabited by the worst breed of blacks in the globe! She is Yakubued when the likes of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida declare their intention to run for the presidency yet again after messing same up in our lifetime. Nigeria is Yakubued when those that have the responsibility of being the agents of change become entrapped by power thereby throwing reason and the general good overboard.
The Yakubu syndrome that makes us the laughing stock before the international community must be killed if we hope to make a headway now that 2011 is around the corner. We must collectively resolve to put our best foot forward next year in the general elections so that the survival of Nigeria can be assured by our generation.
