Duro Ikhazuagbe
Former Super Eagles Captain, Austin Jay Jay Okocha, has joined the conversation on the new direction for Nigeria football, stressing that the country needs people with fresh ideas and a new structure that will not be stifling progress as we presently have it in place.
The former Bolton Wanderers playmaker while speaking on a Brila FM sports programme yesterday morning, said little can be achieved with the impending Normalisation Committee with the present set up of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
He pointed at past attempts to rejig the structure of the NFF but recommendations are gathering dust on the shelves at the federation.
Okocha was emphatic that it will be difficult for people to really work if nothing is going to be done with their recommendations as it has been happening in the past.
According to the former mercurial midfielder, it will be unfair for people to continue to call on him to offer himself for service to Nigeria football if he will not be able to function optimally.
“You’ll be unfair to people like me to say, ‘Oh no, I’m not interested.’ But have you asked yourself: “Is it worth it to try (to want to work to change the system with some people working against you)?” queried Okocha.
He stressed further that Nigeria football needs people of like minds, with the country as their focal point and not selfish motives, for the committee to get good result.
“It is not just the case of you are ready to serve. You need a team and you must be on the same page to be able to drive the change that we want for Nigeria football.
Okocha pointed at his experience when he was elected into the Delta Football Association (DFA).
“I tried it a bit. I went to Delta State. I took the chairmanship position, but when I saw what was going on, I left. It’s not worth it,” revealed the former Super Eagles player.
He however said that those not familiar with the obstacles placed on football administration in the country will not forgive some ex international who have seen the rot and are keeping their distance from getting smeared by the rot,
“But to be honest, people out there, they will not forgive us (ex-internationals) if we keep quiet.”
Against the backdrop of the Super Eagles not qualified back-to-back to two World Cups and now the Super Falcons will be missing for the first time from the Women’s World Cup in Brazil next year, Okocha stressed that rippling effects is damaging to the country’s football.
“Life gets a lot easier if we’re winning. The Women’s World Cup is coming up next year in Brazil. We will not be taking part. I tell, nobody will remember that Nigeria is not there despite the fact that we have been present at every edition since the tournament began in 1991 in China.”
In conclusion, Okocha said running football is not rocket science. “These things can be fixed, and that’s the annoying part because it’s not rocket science. Just put the good stuff in. Get people that can add value. And I believe that we all have roles to play to get our football out of the woods.”