A lot of Nigerians were left in a state of hopeless despair when the super eagles of Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will be held in Qatar. After their last decisive qualifying match where they lost to Ghana, Nigerian fans stormed the pitch after the match in anger, causing chaos as well as destroying facilities.
Such a callous act was uncalled for, but it however showed how infuriated the fans were, knowing full well that they won’t get to watch the super eagles play at the world cup. I also didn’t feel good about Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the WorldCup, which spurred me to begin to ponder on what could have gone wrong.
A lot of things could have possibly gone wrong, ranging from the NFF, Coach, players, etc, but I finally concluded that the root cause of all these mediocrities in Nigerian football was the poor development of grassroots football. There is indeed an urgent need to develop grassroots football in the country. Currently, grassroots football in Nigeria is nothing to write about. The Nigerian league has the highest number of clubs in Africa, but unfortunately, the players are underdeveloped due to poor infrastructure, and the low tactical and technical knowledge of most grassroots coaches.
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The league is poorly funded and has also been ravaged with corruption and nepotism. According to reliable sources, it was disclosed that most local-based players bribe their way into the team, as failure to do so will not see them stand a chance in playing for the team. Players are now recruited based on how much they pay for bribes rather than based on talent.
Many young talented men and women’s hopes have been dashed away as they get shut out by unscrupulous coaches and agents denying them the opportunity to showcase their talent because they had no money to bribe their way through. Imagine how many talents this country would have witnessed if the grassroots system was void of corruption.
The NFF should look into this issue and speak to authorities in charge of recruiting talents, to desist from corruption and rather choose players only on merit. To build a formidable national team, Nigeria needs to embrace grassroots development starting from remote parts of the country, if it wants to develop its football potential.
Ever wondered why Brazil have had so much success in their football over the years?, that you begin to wonder if God specially created them alone with football talent. Brazil’s football body is intentional about developing grassroots football. Scouts from different regions search the nook and cranny of the country to ensure they get the best talent. According to football officials in Brazil, they disclosed that familiarity with soccer begins early, which produces a pool of talents, which is why they groom this talent from a very young age.
Their success in football has made Brazilian players increasingly in demand for teams all over the world. You can’t mention great football players without Brazilian players dominating the list. The likes of Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Delima Ronaldo, Robinho, etc. There is no rocket science to producing great soccer stars, other than the development of grassroots football.
Today in Nigeria, what we see everywhere is all about promoting elite football. Almost everyone is looking for a quick return and to create a pathway, which is why the team keeps struggling at the National level. I often watch the super eagles play, and I am always tempted to ask if this is the best of players the country can produce. Their world cup outings have never been impressive over the years, with their recent absence from the world cup which makes it even worse.
Nigeria football officials must note that familiarity with soccer begins at an early age. There is a need to go to primary and secondary schools where they get to organize football competitions to get talents and nurture them properly to become superstars. There is abundant talent in the country that has not been harnessed, a proper development of grassroots football will see the national team succeed very well and even possibly win the world cup.