SportsNigeria's Slide to Football Irrelevance in Africa And Beyond

Nigeria’s Slide to Football Irrelevance in Africa And Beyond

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As the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2023 came to a close on February 4 in Algeria, Nigeria’s absence at another international competition was felt by football fans in the country. Nigeria, who have remained a dominant force in African football over the last decades, were not able to make the trip to Algeria due to a disappointing loss to Ghana’s Black Galaxies in the CHAN qualifying final round last year.

The qualification process involved a two-leg tie, with the first leg played in Cape Coast, Ghana. The Black Galaxies prepared for the matches against Super Eagles B by training in Austria for a week and playing a friendly against the World Cup hosts, Qatar. The Super Eagles, led by coach Salisu Yusuf, who guided the team to reach the final of the 2018 CHAN against hosts Morocco, prepared by tackling a domestic team of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). The team was also composed of some of the best home-based players in Nigeria, plying their trades in the NPFL, and most of whom were energised by the opportunity to demonstrate to the continent and possible scouts that they were ripe for progress beyond the domestic ambiance.

At the competition itself, in the first leg, the Black Galaxies defeated the Super Eagles B team 2-0. It immediately placed the chances of making it to Algeria under enormous strain. It also meant a lot of effort was necessary in the second leg, at home, to give the home-based Super Eagles a chance to return to the continental competition. Everything was hanging on the outcome of the reverse fixture. In that second leg took, which took place in Abuja, Nigeria, the Super Eagles, recognised the enormity of their tasks and mounted a dramatic comeback, scoring two goals in the second half and leveling the aggregate score at 2-2.

This meant that the winner would be determined through the lottery of penalty kicks. Unfortunately, the Super Eagles were unable to get the upper hand by converting all their penalty kicks, unlike their Ghanaian counterparts. It meant the Nigerian team lost the shootout 5-4, handing the Black Galaxies the ticket to the CHAN 2023. It was just as well for Nigeria’s West African football rival because Ghana had been eager to qualify for the CHAN, having failed to do so in the last three editions of the tournament.

Notwithstanding, the loss was a bitter pill for Nigeria to swallow, especially after the loss of the Super Eagles in similar circumstances to Ghana for the World Cup in Qatar. After the first leg ended goalless in Ghana, Nigeria took the lead in the return leg in the stadium in Abuja before a goal by Thomas Partey meant that Ghana took the available qualification slot on the away-goals rule. It was so difficult for the fans to accommodate that they immediately invaded the pitch and violently chase the players and officials away while destroying the advertising boards, the dugout, and other parts of the Abuja stadium that had just been refurbished at a premium cost by the Dangote Group.

This was another rung in the downtrend ladder of Nigeria’s slide to irrelevance in the continental discourse in and around football. Yet, it was hardly the end. This was because of the clear absence of Nigerian referees in the list released by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for CHAN 2023. In the list, which included 19 referees, 21 assistant referees, and 12 video assistant referees (VAR), representing 32 of CAF’s member associations, there was no space to include even one Nigerian referee. CAF, which has been promoting women’s refereeing, found space to include three women match officials for the tournament, including referee Vincentia E. Amedone from Togo, and assistant referees Carine Atezambong Fomo from Cameroon and Diane Chikotesha from Zambia. It was glaring that Nigeria was completely left out on both male and female categories of referees awarded for CHAN.

The decline of relevance that being absent from these competitions results in is conjoined by a decline in profitability due to the financial advantages that come with participation. For instance, the NPFL missed a chance to earn at least $2 million after the Super Eagles B failed to qualify for the CHAN in Algeria. CAF announced a 60% increase in prize money for the winner of the CHAN. The increase aligned with CAF’s aim to increase the commercial value of African competitions. $2 million was set aside for the winners compared to the $1,250,000 received by the previous champion two years ago. Nigeria stood a good chance of taking the entirety of this sum but could not earn a slot in the competition.

The total prize money for the tournament increased to $7.9 million, up from $5.4 million in the previous edition. The runners-up will receive $800,000, with third and fourth-placed teams getting $500,000 each. Even countries that failed to reach the quarterfinals will earn $400,000 each, while second-placed teams in groups of three will receive $300,000 and third-placed teams in groups of four will also earn $300,000. The bottom-placed teams in all groups will get $200,000 each. Therefore, even if the CHAN Eagles were unable to make it out of their group, the sum they could have made, when converted to Naira, could have been considerable.

This dovetails with the financial losses the country made by not qualifying for Qatar 2022. Indeed, prize money at the World Cup also depended on where the teams finished but FIFA doled out no less than $440 million to the 32 national teams. This money included $9 million each to the 16 teams eliminated at the group stage, $13 million to teams knocked out in the round of 16, followed by escalating amounts that culminated in $30 million to the runner-up and $42 million to the winner. The Nigeria Football Federation missed out completely by not qualifying.

Things are not made any easier for the NFF, especially in the current climate. As THEWILL previously reported, the NFF is currently facing a difficult year with its major partners, including the Nigerian Breweries, Air Peace, Cadbury, MTN, Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Aitea, Coca-Cola, Revolution Plus and Premier Lotto not enthused about their partnerships with the Federation. Most of them have complained about the unprofessional attitude of the Federation towards corporate relationships. Air Peace, Coca-Cola and Revolution Plus have already severed ties with the Federation and the others are not willing to renew when their existing deals elapse. The absence of the Super Eagles at Qatar had a part to play in the exposure of these brands for them to gain from their sponsorship of football and with no financial gains, it will be even more difficult for the NFF when these brands pull out.

However, despite Nigeria’s absence, the CHAN 2023 was exciting, with several surprising results and thrilling matches. The tournament held in four cities in Algeria – Algiers, Constantine, Oran, and Annaba – and featured some of the best home-based players from around the continent. The CHAN is a biennial tournament that was initially scheduled for 2022 but was postponed to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CHAN 2023 was the 7th edition of the tournament and was sponsored by TotalEnergies. The tournament has always been a showcase for some of the best home-based players in Africa and continues to provide a platform for them to display their skills and attract interest from clubs around the world. The tournament has also been a source of pride for African nations and has helped to promote the sport on the continent. In the race for the highest goal scorer, new names emerged. Algeria’s Aymen Mahious and Madagascar’s Razafindranaivo Koloina were previously in a tight race to be crowned highest goal scorers. The 25-year-old USM Algiers forward Mahious and Koloina, who is 22, had both scored three goals each in the tournament in the heat of the quarter-finals. They were tied in a neck-and-neck race for the award until the semi-final, where Algeria beat Niger 5-0 with Mahious netting two to move his total to five, while Madagascar were knocked out after losing by a score of 1-nil to Senegal. It left the Algerian without competition en route to the final.

Soufiane Rahimi and Ayoub El Kaabi were the competition’s last two golden boot winners, but with Morocco out, there is set to be another winner from a different nation. Former winners of this award have gone on to have stellar careers in and out of the continent as well as with their senior national teams.

The tournament has been a great platform for home-based players to showcase their skills and has helped to promote the sport in Africa. The CHAN is an important tournament for African football and will continue to play a crucial role in the development of the sport on the continent. However, Nigeria must arrest this slide down the ladder of relevance. There is an immediate need to take action and ensure that the best legs are identified and put together as teams to represent the country beyond any other considerations.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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