NIGERIAN Football Federation, NFF, is saddled with the responsibility of overseeing football in Nigeria, but the present federation’s performance leaves much to be desired.

WHATEVER parameter that is used to assess NFF under Amaju Pinnick, be it football development, structures  put in place to ensure efficient federation, judging the body from the point of success of our football league,  and the participation of Nigeria teams in international football competitions, the present NFF would be  scored low.

THE  ultimate mark of success is to see the development of our football reflected in how we produce excellent results that NFF has not done well in the past seven years that Pinnick and his board had been on the saddle.  Although we  currently rank  fifth football team in Africa, yet our league has not produced any good team good enough to qualify for the semi and finals of any African competition under this administration.

THIS is hardly unexpected because under Amaju Pinnick’s supervision, our football league has been operating in per optimal only  two or three local players are  promoted  for the Super Eagles and they  warmed the bench, while participating clubs in Nigeria league are not even sure of when new season would start and end.

IN the past, Nigeria was master in age grade group teams, but now teams have  become weeping teams to minnows in Africa. Qualifying for U17 and U20 FIFA World Cup has become passing through the eye of needle. We now struggle against countries that are yet to find their football boots! The result of this is that in a few years’ time, we would not be able to find replacement for players like Iheanacho, Chukwueze, Awoniyi, Osimhen and their likes who all found their way to European clubs by being outstanding in age group competitions.

ALSO,  the ineptitude reflected in Amaju Pinnick’s leadership is the way Nigeria lost the last World Cup, thereby making the country to miss out in the share of the multi-million dollar tournament. Teams eliminated in the group stages at the last World Cup went home with 8 million USD, not including the 1.5 million USD preparation fee paid and the further $10 million  based participation.

NO   doubt, missing this huge windfall is a major loss to the country and its football development. Ironically, Mr Pinnke has expanded his personal frontiers beyond Nigeria and now he’s seen as a global figure but at the detriment of football in Nigeria. Added to this, there has been no peace in the Glass house in the last seven years resulting in litigations over leadership which stunts football development in the country.

THE  NFF’s culture of hiring third rated foreign coaches for the Super Eagles is annoying and provocative. Though, some of our local coaches lack ingenuity and knowledge in modern football, but foreign coaches employed by NFF are here to get our money and not to develop football. A foreign coach living overseas, not watching local league and players is nothing but a hireling.

We therefore feel that the days of the repeated rhetoric of the NFF returning to drawing board after every failed campaign should be over. There’s the need for the federal government to look critically at the leadership of the present NFF, with a view to overhauling it. This it can do by being interested in who becomes the NFF president when it is time for the  election.

AGAIN, the NFF must be strategic in appointing a new coaching crew for the national teams and plan ahead to make the best use of this generation of players. The body should not impose players on the coach and the national teams should not be a place to practice federal character. This mistake that led to the dubious appointment of obscure European coaches has been committed again with the appointment of unknown Jose Santos Peseiro for the senior national team as record of his antecedents and achievements remain sketchy.  Now that he has been appointed.

THE Hope  therefore calls on NFF to give the new coach ample time to get his ideas to the boys, have a better time with the players and bring out his roadmap to Nigeria football development. He must not coach the Super Eagles from abroad, but stay in Nigeria to do his job.

THE NFF must also ensure that the Nigerian league is improved upon. The present state where there’s no sponsor for the league shows lack of seriousness and corruption in the NFF which makes sponsors to be unattractive to the league. This must change for the betterment of our football and footballers in Nigeria. Thus, our league matches must be televised. The football body can use NTA or the cable television. If Kenya can televise its matches through the cable network, why not Nigeria? we insist that  Nigerians deserve a better deal.