Nigeria Super Eagle Beat Argentina on———
If you played soccer at any respectable level or understood some of its subtleties you would have had this phrase drilled into your consciousness———— ‘go for the ball, do not wait for the ball to come to you.’
In the Nigeria versus Argentina game on June 12 the Nigerian Super Eagles for the most part waited for the ball instead of going for it. This will be the extent of my criticism if I was their head coach.
The other thing I would have preferred is a shoulder-to-shoulder arm linkage of the players during recital of the national anthem as opposed to ‘stand alone, palms across the chest’. Shoulder to shoulder arm linkage boosts morale and signifies bonding and camaraderie which are what the boys need to win a world cup. Palm-across-chest in a soccer field is emasculating and belongs to presidential parades of the imperial majesty.
That said, I must admit that not since the 2006 world cup, when Zinedine Zidane of France tore the sternum off Italian defender Marco Materazii with his forehead have I seen soccer played with such viciousness as seen in the Argentina versus Nigeria 2010 world cup.
Though the Argentinean team came into the field gesticulating ‘signs-of- the-cross’ and clutching crucifixes, their hearts were dark and they showed no mercy in their physicality. These 2010 Argentinean players were brutes. They punched, they grabbed, they chewed, they butted and they plucked the Eagles. I was stunned by how the Eagles maintained their poise. Had the Eagles returned the ruggedness they would have won. The Super Eagles beat the Argentinean team on sportsmanship. Our boys relied on their mesmerizing footwork and agility. They danced on the field with the ball, they flew in the air to intercept the ball, they stroke the ball with both legs, they rolled, they tumbled, they weltered, but they dogged in until the last whistle. I was pumped up by their finesse and comportment. The Nigerian goalie Vincent Enyema was phenomenal. This is the image of Nigerians that the Western press does not want to acknowledge. The hype of a Nigerian as a bumptious personality will once again be called into question.
As if unsure ruggedness alone could guarantee them a victory, the Argentineans also had their coach Maradona prowling the corners of the soccer field like an irate boxer will walk around a ring. In the many years I played soccer I have never seen such a drama in a soccer match. At one point, Maradona was flicking ‘out of bound’ ball for the teams. That is outrageous and unprofessional. But again there is nothing professional about Maradona. If you are old enough you will remember his ‘hand of God’s goal against England in world cup of 1986. That 1986 foul play stained his soccer carrier like a red card on a coach’s foul list. His caricature along the soccer field was the wrong way if he was trying to rehabilitate his public relation.
Maradona’s thug-like presence in the field was intimidating to both the officials and players. Did you see him? He twisted and twirled like a whirlpool throughout the game at any referee call that did not go his way.
Also to be flushed out is a report on the Internet that Maradona met with the referees a day before the game. Did he really cajole the referee to ‘take care of his players’?
I hate to waste my time on the referee. However I will quickly state that referee was either incompetent or bigoted in his calls. He seemed to be rewarding the Argentineans with free kicks for every peccadillo committed by the Eagles, but never seemed to find a kickable offense against the Argentines. He topped it off for not calling a foul on the Argentineans when they scored their lone goal.
A instant replay or review by the official should have made it clear that one of the Eagles was held before the Argentinean team scored their lone goal.
To score the lone goal an Argentinean player wrapped up one of the Eagle defenders, hence allowing a header to convert the corner kick into the net. That goal should have been dismissed. I do not know about soccer, but in basketball your team is called for a foul when you wrap an opponent.
Just to be sure that I am not awfully biased I asked three of my friends who are not Nigerian what they thought about the Argentinean score. They also confirmed that one of the Eagles was held before the goal was scored.
It was therefore a trio of a bigoted referee, a deal making coach and matadors masquerading themselves as soccer players that conspired to rub the supper Eagles what could have been a win or a draw in the opening world cup.
The Argentineans may have been a smidge better than the Eagles, but they ought to have proved it fairly and squarely.
A wrap has to be a foul in any professional game unless of course you are engaged in Japanese ‘sumo’ wrestling.
FIFA should be capable of investigating these incidents in other to understand it, correct it and prevent it from happening again. Incompetent referees have to be fired and thrown out and prowling coaches must be caged.
The loss in soccer is real and heartbreaking to both the players and the fans. Without closure recovery can be prolonged.
If soccer must remain the apogee of all sports it must continue to be fair and be played on a level plain field.
I demand that the Nigerian coach Lar Lagerback check out these allegations with FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter. Was there any conspiracy of any sort and at any level to treat Nigerian team with disrespect or jeopardize their chance to win? A powerful statement has to be made. Precedence has to be set at this moment in time to prevent future chicanery.
On Thursday June 17, 2010 the Nigerian Eagles will square against the Greek team. Please allow the guys to play. The Eagles must turn up the tempo of their game a notch hotter. Their back is against the wall and this is not the time to be soft. There is no more room for Mr. nice guy.
The boys have to be allowed to crunch their muscles, roughen up their edges, hone their heels, and sharpen their elbows. This is how you win a soccer match. Do not tell them to be fair and watchful. You do not win soccer games when you are watchful.
The Nigerian senate president David Mark was quoted asking the Super Eagles to be good sportsmen during the competition: “We want to win by all means, but by fair play”. I do not know if David played soccer as a kid but sir it is hard to win when you play ‘fair’. To win you have to play hard.
Please do not politicize the sports. This is absolutely not the time to talk about money or reward for the Nigerian Eagles. This is the time to play soccer. The Eagles are not in South Africa to atone for our sins or burnish Nigerian image they are there to win the world cup. We have trained them so we must let them soar. Let the guys be natural. This is how they played growing up. Let them play just like they played around their rugged backyard and street corners, over broken glass, on top of garbage dumps, across rocks, in open gutters, around shrubs and in the ever present darkness which continues to plague mother land.
Let the Nigerian coach and the official do what they have to do to assure that our boys win.
Please Mr. Largerback, meet with the referees. Tell them to ‘take care’ of our boys.
By Stalwart
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2008-W Burnished Die Silver Eagle
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