NFF And The U-17 Age Test

Nigeria’s hope of winning the 2009 Under-17 World Cup Trophy in the Global Soccer Champi onships billed to hold in Nigeria in barely 58 days time has been threatened by the shocking failure of 29 out of the 36-strong boy Squad to pass the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test.

Though the bone scan is still on-going and could even claim more casualties out of the remaining seven players, those so far disqualified include some of the most valuable and players to wear the first 11 shirts during the football fiesta.

Media reports have it that 13 out of the 36-boy squad failed the test on level six while, 16 others failed the test on levels four and five respectively. Nigeria’s Sports Minister Sani Ndanusa, whose ministry was reportedly copied in the communication between the Federation of International  Football Associations and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has already directed that the 29 players be immediately axed from the team.

The nation’s fate in the tournament is now left hanging in the balance after several months of preparation.  The Nigerian Football Federation is now left with the options of either hurriedly assembling a fresh team or pulling out of the tournament.  Already, the officials have drafted some players from the U-17 team of the Pepsi Football Academy to till the gap created by the fall 29.

Tongues are wagging among sports lovers and football enthusiasts across the federation on what level of performance the fresh team is expected to put up in the tournament.

This would not be the first time Nigeria’s interest in international sports competitions had been  hampered by shabby preparations especially, the fielding of over aged players in youth soccer competitions.  Certainly,  football administrators in the country cannot feign ignorance of existing rules of the game or the fact that Nigeria had fallen victim to the same scam more than once.

This is why we find this repeat a little worrisome. In fact, it amounts to an  act of negligence that should attract severe sanctions to the leadership of the football body, but we fear that Nigeria, being a country where acts of irresponsibility in public offices are treated with near palpable indifference,  no one may receive any serious reprimand.

The Tide joins millions of football enthusiasts across the country in condemning this act of administrative laxity that may ruin the best chances the nation has to lift the highly coveted trophy back to back and improve her on its rating, as one of the leading football nations of the black race, if not in the world.

As the king of sports, football,  has become increasingly sophisticated over the years such that one must really work hard in terms of preparation and perfection of technical skills to excel.  This accounts for why many nations take all necessary steps  to  prepare adequately, in order  to ensure that emerge victorious.

The various prefestival matches which the U-17 team has engaged in, both here, at home and abroad cost the nation huge sums of tax payers’ money but the players with such training are no longer going to participate.  What a wasted investment?                          Should the country fail to perform in the tournament to be hosted by her the blame can no longer go to the players but to the football administrators themselves.  All those involved in the laxity that has brought this embarrassment to Nigeria and lovers of Nigerian football across the globe should be punished appropriately.

Not a few football analysts have in the past querried the short playing life-span of our youth footballers as against their European counterparts who graduate from Junior to the senior cadre after long period of apperances in each category.   It is a situation that should have worried our football administrators. But the untoward manner they  have conducted themselves brings to question their sense of planning in an area they should by now claim expertise.

Without doubt, their action smack of unpatriotism and it also negates the rebranding spirit of the present federal administration. Infact, is an indication that our football administrators are yet to key into the rebranding campaign of the present administration and should be sanctioned, if for nothing else to serve a deterent to others who may be tempted to see public duty as nobody’s resposibility.  This is the truth.