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Let Nigeria Revive NNPC/Shell Cup! –Odegbami

Let Nigeria Revive NNPC/Shell Cup! –OdegbamiNNPC/Shell Cup 2017 champions, Hensen Demonstration School Benin City team players and officials, celebrates with the trophy, medals and prize money dummy cheque

I have been in hibernation for two weeks, high up in the hills of Wasimi in Ogun State buried in work. As a result, I failed to catch up with some major sports news. I missed Raphael Nadal’s loss in the first round at Roland Garros. I missed Manchester United’s surprise defeat of my favourite team in the English Premier League, Manchester City FC in the FA Cup final. I also missed Nigeria’s matches at the CAF Under-17 AFCON where I am told that, for the second time in a row, the national team failed to win and to qualify for the FIFA World Under-17 Championship.

I asked what the reactions to not qualifying out of Africa to the FIFA championship where Nigeria holds the best records in the world with 5 World Cup victories. I had to ask because, contrary to my expectations should Nigeria fail a second time in a row, the world did not end!

Instead, (as I was told) the country’s football officials are actually toying with the idea of promoting the ‘failed’ coach of the team to a higher age-grade level!

Golden Eaglets finished in third position at 2024 WAFU B U-17 Championship and failed to book a spot at U-17 AFCON

Nigerian football did not shake to its roots? Nobody was fired? Nothing happened? The country and its football have just moved on, unperturbed  and undisturbed, when my own blood pressure had shot up in worry and uncommon concern? What is happening? Where has Nigeria’s passion for grassroots football gone to? What is happening at the grassroots level of Nigerian football? Why would the country’s national teams suddenly become cannon fodder for other African teams? Why would the production room of great Nigerian players and squads in the past suddenly become impotent and unproductive?

Also Read: A Manager, Not A Coach, For The Super Eagles! –Odegbami

Yet, even from my humble observatory in the hills of Wasimi, I see global interest for young, strong, athleticNigerian football players by foreign clubs, exploding.

It must never be true that the head coach of the U-17 is being touted for promotion to a higher age-grade level after failing to take the team beyond Africa.  There are too many questions begging for answers.

Let me step back a little and examine the foundations of the grassroots again.

There is a global football competition for Under-17s.  Nigeria has won it 5 times.

That means that participants from Nigeria must have come from the millions of boys in secondary schools, with most under the age of 17.

In Nigeria, in particular, for that age group, at around 16 years of age, the secondary school offers the best option for the discovery, development, assembly and authentication of the young, gifted football players that will represent the country. Beyond that, the schools also offer the best opportunity to reduce the incidences of cheating that have smeared the country’s reputation, and slightly affected the integrity of their past U-17 victories.

Using the schools offers the best opportunity to reduce the tendency to cheat. The schools have the numbers, trained and qualified teachers in Physical and Health Education, and some level of basic facilities within them to kick-start ‘something’ in the process of player-development.

Also Read: Random Thoughts On Football Associations! –Odegbami

There was a time (not too long ago) that a national football competition between secondary schools around the country existed.

It was founded and funded by the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd, SPDC. For 19 years, the competition, even with its foibles, provided a platform that fed the selection process of players for the Under-17 teams in the various States and at the national level. In a particular year, 11 players were invited from the Shell Cup competition for the national Under-17 team.

The space left by Shell Cup has not been filled since then, even though there are a few emerging football competitions with their sponsors for schools in some States. Unfortunately, these do not enjoy national coordination and so, lose their power to fully harvest the best crop of emerging young talented footballers in the country. Many of the best players may not be caught in the net that the most authentic under-17 players should go through.

all-nigerian-secondary- schools-football- championship-for-the-nnpcshell-cup-dr-segun-odegbami-u-17-afcon-golden-eaglets

Football academies mushrooming all over the country now provide the feed for the national team. Their numbers are limited despite their rapid expansion, and most will not pass the age integrity test with most of their players being out of the school system. Under this arrangement, the vast number of the most gifted and authentic talents remain undiscovered.

The issue of school sports, generally, needs to be looked at microscopically and practically again by both the Federal Ministries of Education and of Youth and Sports. Their partnership is key and critical. A good working relationship between them will make the school the epicentre for the discovery, nurture and development of grassroots athletes for the country’s Under-17 national teams. Essentially, the matter must go beyond irrelevant and  endless ‘talk talk’ without action. Some affirmative action is needed. The effort to make sports development at secondary schools level authentic should never fall victim to short-cuts, desperation or frustration.

School sports should be revived, made authentic and promoted as the bedrock of all grassroots sports development.

Even SPDC should be reminded of its contributions in the past, and can still be encouraged to revive that invaluable All-Nigerian Secondary Schools Football Championship for the NNPC/Shell Cup that involved some 60,000 new student footballers every year.

golden-eaglets-u17-africa-cup-of-nations-u17-fifa-world-cup-u17-afcon-manu-garba

Nigeria’s U-17s (Golden Eaglets) Head Coach, Manu Garba

Specialisation of coaches!

Meanwhile, back to the issue of Nigerian coaches at age-grade levels.

Nigeria should have coaches specializing to handle specific levels of football development. The practice of ‘promoting’ coaches from one age-group level to the next can be counter productive.

The requirement for training of players at different age groups varies.

There are coaches that have the ‘eye’ to spot exceptionally talented players from an ‘army’ of children. These are the best scouts for fresh talent. They recommend players to schools, clubs, and even the national teams.

Also Read: Solving Nigeria’s Unending Sports Development Challenge! –Odegbami

There are coaches that know how to take raw talents, hone and transform them into technically skilfull playerswith confidence to play freely and the ability to tame the ball and make it do his bidding.  They know how to teach players basic skills, to head, to pass, to shoot, to control the ball with different parts of the foot, to dribble, to tackle and so on. These are the essential requirements for mostly Under-17 players.

Above that, some coaches are good at training players to understand team tactics, strategies, formations, discipline and organization whilst developing their physique, strength, flexibility and speed.

At the very highest level, special training skills and knowledge from experience, are needed to blend all the above with player management, psychology and comfortability against the highest levels of opposition.

It  follows that coaches should remain within their areas of specialization and experience in order to flourish best, and add the highest value to developing players. Promotion up the rung of age groups may be a ‘wrong’prescription for coaches.

So, Nigeria’s absence from the next FIFA Under-17 Championship is a great shock. It should be of great concern to football administrators and the people.  It is surprising that the failure came and went, and nothing has happened. It is almost like it did not happen at all. Whereas, it is a catastrophe considering where the country’s football was in the world some time ago, and could be now.

 

 

 

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COMMENTS

WORDPRESS: 6
  • Sorry sir. But using only 2 weeks to a major championship and announce a coach for the national team to now “criss cross” the 36 states to find “federal character” players to blend and nurture (not forgetting the MRI scans always left for the tail end of camp exercise) should have the NFF perennially incompetent leadership to take the BLAME AND FALL for the Golden Eaglets failure. Not the coach’s fault one bit.

    Watch out. The sit tight under 20 national team coach Ladan BOSSO will only be “mobilized” 2 weeks to CHAN qualifiers/championship. When glasshouse pays the coaches on per game basis, why should any coach be looking to groom any player for the national team.

    NFF pinned and planned for the teams downfall. Unfortunately for them, their tenure, when posterity judges, will adjudge them TEAM OF FAILURES because their cabinet is empty and full of cobwebs.

  • Sly in as much as i agree with what you said about the incompetence of our Nff board and staffers, what the honorable mathematical Odegbami is saying here is different and far more important than mere appointment of coaches . If we as a country decides to do the right thing by taking all sports especially football back to our school system ie Primary, Secondary and Tertiary institutions we shall become World beaters again.

  • Hogwash another Sensless post And Suggestion from an enemy of Nigerian Football forming like he is all for Nigerian football. Hogwash, I didnt see anything wrong with the caliber of Players our Academies are churning out. I mean Our Academy brought out one of the best players in the World Now. Osimhen, and Boniface our Dual National system Is also giving us joy look at Lookman. So this is Hogwash. Please come oga Odegbami so what is the aim. Because We have a good system it is just that Europe is good so the players will always want to end up there in Europe, if they go will they now be considered as Europeans? by you criminals I mean as you are famous for Saying Oga Odegbami, Will the now be considered “NOT NIGERIAN ENOUGH”. Because If you people want them to stay there then Improve the league and its infrastructure and root out the age Cheaters WIn big tournamentz make the league more attractive to watch so that the Quality from the Academies and this NNPC cup you want to delude us with which is good idea but not critical. BEcause in my opnion we produce players te problem just comes when they go to europe from the academy and you people have nohands in thier pockets. Your Story Stinks Mr Segun Odegbami

  • Mr Odegbami and CO stop Stealing and embezelling money for the league’s Upkeep and Improvement get the right sponsors and when they sponsor Use the money for the right reasons. Because this is unfair you people destroy the NPFL and are now frustrating us again with Super Eagles. What is all these.

    now you want to come and blow NNPC shell cup hog wash to us asif we can not see that Nigeria has the best talents from Africa in World Football today. and two of them are just as Nigerian as you and I Oga Odegbami Osimhen and Boniface thier Only crime it seems is going to Europe on their terms.

  • Dr. Drey 4 months ago

    Uncle Segun “mathematically” avoided angering his paymasters by claiming he was “too buried” with work and hence didn’t follow-up the build up of the Golden eaglets to the WAFU B…..just in a bid to not acknowlege the fact that his friends in the NFF sent a 2 week old u17 team tò a major championship in the strongest regional bloc in Africa.

    And then he turns around to call the coach a “failed” coach…LMAOoo.

    For someone who is an unapologetic supporter/promoter of “failed” local coaches for our national team, and an unrepentant progenitor of “we must learn to swim and sink” with local coaches, this sudden change of tune to crucify a coach who placed 3rd in the WAfU B sub region with a 2week old u17 team leaves little to imagination.

    The status quo is probably not buttering his bread enough. Cos weve come to realize uncle sege these days only speaks good of where banquet is set.

    Gone are the days when old age was associated with truth and integrity.

    No wonder his columns no longer pull the sort of readership and traction it used to pull 7 to 10 years ago.

    Please of what use will the Shell cup be if the national U17 coaches are appointed 30 days to the toughest regional tournament in Africa….?

    Is there any published document anywhere that guarantees that all players selected from the Shell cup are/have been MRI grade 4 and below…?

    The days when we selected U17 players from the Shell cup….please how many U17 AFCONs or World Cups did we win….?

    How many of those Shell Cup products got signed straight to the calibre of European clubs our u17s this past decade have been signed into….?

    Why are people hell bent rubbishing the current methodology by purposely ignoring the cancer plaguing it which is the useless and incompetent administrators of our football, from the Sports ministry to the NFF and down to the state FAs.

    The desperation to rubbish the current scheme of things has blinded some of these self-acclaimed subject-matter authorities to the present realities.

    That “failed coach” that raised a medal winning MRI grade 4 compliant U17 team within 2 weeks with a 3-1-1 7GF 3GA record in a tournament that is even tougher to win than the u17 AFCON itself deserves more than this vague ridicle attempt. The Burkina Faso team that eventually won the tournament struggled against his 2 week old team when they met in thr group stage.


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