It has become expedient that I write this piece following the declining performance of Nigerian clubs in Africa.
Only last week, the club regarded as the most successful Nigerian club side ever, Enyimba International capitulated 3:0 in Mozambique in the CAF Confederation Cup.
For the team, been the only Nigerian side to have won the prestigious CAF Champions League and CAF Super Cup twice apiece, thus ending for Nigeria the term elusive to suddenly be struggling raises questions.
It is an embarrassment to say the least to be struggling against continental football Lilliputians like in this case. While the likes of AL Ahly, Zamalek, Esperance, T P Mazembe wax stronger, ours like Enyimba, Rangers International, and Shooting Stars, all continental powerhouses in the past get weaker.
Enyimba won the CAF Champions League and Super Cup successively in 2003 and 2004 as well as in 2004 and 2005 respectively, Shooting Stars also won the defunct CAF winners Cup ( now merged with the CAF Cup to form the Confederation Cup) in 1976.
Stars equally won the inaugural CAF Cup in 1992. On the other hand, Rangers won the 1977 Cup Winners Cup while Bendel Insurance got the CAF Cup title in 1995. Several Nigerian clubs like Headland, Stationery Stores, Kano Pillars, Bendel United, Sunshine Stars, Rivers United and Julius Berger also either reached the final or Semis of these competitions.
So what suddenly happened that saw our Continental Club Football fortunes dwindle, some have deduced that poor players recruitment, quality and exodus, poor coaching, poor club management, poor refereeing, lack of administrative transparency amongst others have landed us where we are.
In all these, the Nigerian Football managers both at National, State and Club level have big roles to play to reverse our downward slide, a stitch in time they say saves nine.
Note : The CAF Champions League was initially known as the Ahmed Sekou Toure’s Cup,
The CAF Winners Cup as the Nelson Mandela’s Cup
While the CAF Cup, the M.k.O Abiola Cup.
Jerry Udoh
writes from Jos.
