Sports
Super Eagles And The ‘If’ Permutation
Football-loving Nigerians at home and in diaspora are sad again, for the umpteenth time. The country’s senior national team, the Super Eagles, have disappointed them again by their unimpressive performance and consequent ouster at the on-going South Africa 2010 world cup.
Like it was in the country’s last appearance at the mumdial in Japan/Korea 2002, the Eagles could only get a draw in three group matches. While the only draw was 2-2 against Korea Republic at South Africa, it was 0-0 against England in 2002.
By their last Group B match against Korea, the Eagles had no point, having lost to Argentina (0-1) and Greece (1-2) in their first two matches.
However, there was the mathematical chance that if they could defeat Korea Republic, and Argentina could do same to Greece, Nigeria could quality.
The scenario reminded close watches of the one on the final day of qualifiers for the on-going World Cup: if the Eagles could defeat Kenya in Nairobi, and Mozambique could do same to Tunisia on home soil, the if permutation.
Luckily, the permutation favoured the Eagles, and they proceeded to South Africa, only to find themselves in the same if permutation scenario again.
Blames have long started pouring in from all angles. As expected, most of the blame is on the players. Yakubu Ayegbeni seen to be the number one culprits for missing that vital goal with an open net staring at him against Korea.
Sani Keita is another culprit. He can hardly be forgotten for attracting the red card that distabilised the already wobbling Eagles team that saw them lose 1-2 to Greece.
Another set of people are also blaming the Eagles’ coach, Lars Lagerback, for not presenting good team at South Africa 2010. Only quite a few people seem to have paused and pondered to view the entire scenario concerning the Nigerian team to South Africa. Only these few seem to have appreciated the fact that the performance of the Super Eagles is only a reflection of their ill preparedness and unfitness.
Surely, if the truth must be told, it would have been a great injustice to the game if the Eagles had gone beyond the first round going by the performances of all the teams that qualified for the last 16 stage.
This has nothing to do with patriotism. In fact, if patriotism should be mentioned in this issue without questioning the patriots in those who manage Nigeria’s football, particularly regarding preparation of teams for major championships, it would amount to a display of high level of ignorance in what it takes to do well at that level of the game.
Sincerely, to have expected the Eagles to do more than they did in South Africa is natural and can only be done out of patriotism considerations, because they really did not merit it.
Not that on a good day the players, individually, are not good, but rather because Nigeria, not the players in isolation, was not prepared for this world cup.
The picture painted here is a parent sending his child to a major examination, knowing that he did not create an enabling environment for the child to study real hard for the exam, but relying on the child’s previous knowledge.
Meanwhile, the parent decides to provide every other thing in abundance to encourage the child on the day of the examination, with high expectation of the child excelling at the end of the day.
For those in this picture, they seem to have forgotten how times have changed even in the football world. So much so that from being a means of entertainment, football has in addition become a huge business.
Also, that world football governing body, FIFA, almost on daily basis does everything possible to make the game more technical and difficult for any unserious country to reap from its benefits, while also making the game more interesting.
In the process, FIFA has gradually changed the game from being more physical, as it was in the early days, to being more scientific. It thus requires more mental work than physical work.
Consequently, the displays we watch on the turf, by which we judge teams, only constitute about 40 per- cent (Probably less) of total work required to enhance success in a championship in the fold of the world cup. A lot of other factors make up the remaining 60 percent.
These factors include such things as the coach/technical adviser of the team, whether he is the right choice, his strategy and how long he has to achieve set goals; the quality of players and their psyche before and during each match; as well as how long members of the team has to function as a team, different from individual performance.
Also, how best these factors turn out is to a large extent a function of how committed the managers of football in a country or team are the extent to which they are committed to ensuring success, and sustaining same.
Again, all of these factors could be in place, and a team can still fail without the element of luck, which is another factor. However, a team can also have only some of these factors and can still succeed with luck.
But it amounts to a misnomer to depend solely on luck because luck thrives better when all other factors are in place.
In the case of the Super Eagles to the South Africa 2010 World Cup, the country, better still, managers of the country’s football, relied on luck because every other factor were either not in place, or there was not enough time for such factors to mature. Lars Lagerback, the Eagles helmsman, may be one of such factors.
To do better in future world cups, therefore, Nigeria must first seek to put that 60 per cent in proper perspective. It will be easier for the 40 per- cent to fall in place after then.
It is what the French did from the mid-eighties that saw them produce a solid team that gave them the world cup tile in 1998. A little painstaking research can do the trick for Nigeria.
The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has announced that the National Top 16 Table Tennis Championship will take place Ogu community in Ogu/Bolo local government area of Rivers State, from December 11-14, 2026, in a move aimed at expanding the sport’s popularity and developing talents in the South-South region.
The championship, which is being sponsored by the Fifika Chiri Foundation, according to the President of the NTTF, Dr Adesoji Tayo, would mark the beginning of a sustained effort to promote table tennis beyond its traditional stronghold in the South-West and establish the South-South as a major centre for the sport.
Tayo spoke during a visit to Ogu community, where he inspected facilities for the proposed competition and commended the President of Fifika Chiri Foundation, Alabo Boma Iyaye, for supporting the development of table tennis.
He described table tennis as a sport for everyone, irrespective of age, saying its benefits extended beyond competitive sports to recreation, physical fitness and healthy living.
“Table tennis is a game for all, and it is a game that can be played even till old age,” he said.
According to him, the sport could be played competitively, recreationally and as a means of livelihood, adding that it offered opportunities for young people to develop their talents and become internationally recognised athletes.
“Coming to Rivers State is not just to talk about competition; it is to talk about table tennis and how table tennis can help us to live a good daily life,” Tayo said.
The NTTF president expressed satisfaction with the facilities inspected in Ogu, describing the proposed venue as suitable for the championship.
“I’m happy that a beautiful edifice could be here. It’s good for the competition,” he said.
He also pledged the federation’s support in providing the necessary professional equipment and technical requirements for the event, including competition tables and other materials.
Tayo disclosed that the federation would facilitate the participation of the country’s top 16 male and female players, who would converge on Ogu to showcase their skills.
“We’ll bring them, we’ll facilitate the process of ensuring that they come. We will provide all the professional kits that they will require,” he said.
Speaking while hosting the NTTF president during a courtesy visit in Ogu, Alabo Boma Iyaye, who is also the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), said his passion for table tennis was rooted in his childhood experiences and longstanding involvement in sports.
“Growing up in Port Harcourt, we all played table tennis. You cannot grow up in Port Harcourt and not play table tennis,” he said.
Iyaye said he subsequently decided to revive interest in the sport in his community by organising a local Christmas table tennis competition, which later expanded to attract players from across Rivers State.
He said the competition, which had been sustained for several years, inspired him to seek a national-level event for Ogu.
“At the local level, we started, and then we transcended to the state level. We have state players that come in here every Christmas to play table tennis. But this year, I said, ‘Can’t we make it a national competition?'” he said.
The foundation president described the decision to bring the National Top 16 Championship to Ogu as a major achievement for the community and Rivers State.
“I want to specially thank you for accepting to come, not only to Rivers State, but to Ogu, to host the National Top 16. That is a major feat,” he said.
He assured the federation that the community would provide the necessary facilities and logistical support to ensure a successful competition.
According to him, Ogu has hotels, a good road network, a memorial hall suitable for indoor sports and reliable electricity supply through the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company and solar power systems.
“We will do everything within our means to make sure that this competition is not only held in Ogu once, but will continuously hold in this part of the world,” Iyaye said.
He added that the initiative was not only intended to develop table tennis but also to place Ogu on the international sporting map.
Also speaking, the South-South representative on the NTTF board, Ama-ebi Ebikpolade, described the decision to host the competition in Rivers State as a significant development for the region.
He said the South-South had not hosted a major NTTF competition in a long time, despite Rivers State’s reputation as a sporting destination.
“For the first time, I think for the first time, a tournament of that level is coming to Rivers State,” Ebikpolade said.
He commended Iyaye for providing the support needed to bring the championship to Ogu, describing the development as the first step towards making the community an annual host of the competition.
“Today, we have started. We have taken the first step towards the annual hosting of the Nigerian National Top 16 in Ogu, courtesy of Alabo Boma Iyaye, and we cannot thank him enough,” he said.
The 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards ceremony has been postponed, with the new date fixed for December 2, 2026, in Lagos, Nigeria, BSNSports.com.ng reports.
The prestigious awards ceremony, which celebrates outstanding achievements in African football, will bring together the continent’s finest players, coaches, teams and other football stakeholders.
The event is expected to recognise individuals and teams whose performances have shaped African football over the past year.
The postponement means football fans and stakeholders will have to wait a little longer to celebrate the continent’s outstanding performers in what remains one of the biggest events on the African sporting calendar.
Lagos will host the glittering ceremony as Africa’s football community gathers to honour excellence across the continent.
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday announced the award of a ?100 million Federal Government Savings Bond to each player on Nigeria’s victorious U-17 women’s football team, the Flamingos.
The bonds attract an annual interest rate of 14 per cent. The investment by the government for the players is for five years.
President Tinubu also announced a cash gift of ?100 million for the coach and ?50 million for each member of the technical crew.
The President announced the rewards during a reception at the Presidential Villa in Abuja for the Flamingos, who reportedly won the U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The Flamingos defeated Japan to become the first African team to win the tournament.
President Tinubu was represented at the reception by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
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