Following their poor performance at the World Cup, the Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan suspended the entire national team for two years from all international competitions.
Nigeria Football Association
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Nigeria was knocked out of the World Cup in the first round itself, and could account for only one point from a group that also contained Greece, South Korea and Argentina.
The Nigerians were odds on to qualify second from their group, but had to lose out to South Korea. A day after their exit, the executive committee of the Nigerian Football Federation met to discuss the team’s performance in the tournament.
Nigerian football officials have always had their tryst with corruption and bribery cases, but this time the president was adamant he would make the right impact among footballing circles. His senior communications advisor, Ima Niboro, said, “”Mr President has directed that Nigeria will withdraw from all international football competition for the next two years to enable Nigeria to reorganise its football.
“This directive became necessary following Nigeria’s poor performance in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.”
Regarding the corruption charges, Niboro seemed nonchalant. “If any financial misappropriation is discovered, all officials responsible will be held accountable.”
Niboro said the sports minister would be writing to FIFA shortly to inform them of the decision. He said the minister for the federal capital territory, Abuja, had been instructed to build a “Football House” where the team could be based.
“The problem of Nigerian football is structural. We need to reorganise the structures and there is need to withdraw from all international football competition so that we can put our house in order,” Niboro said.
A statement said the federation apologised to the “federal government and all football-loving Nigerians for the early ouster of the Super Eagles from the World Cup” and added Nigeria would seek to play more friendly matches to get more experience.
Maybe it’s just me, but this decision seems too harsh to me. While there were rumors following the Indomitable Eagles’ exit from the Cup, this decision caught everyone by surprise. While FIFA spokesmen denied that any letter had reached them yet, they have also maintained that as a sporting body, FIFA will not interfere with any politics that are involved.
Meanwhile, fans are clamoring for their coach Lars Lagerback to help build the youth development system in the country, in the hope that by the time the team comes out of it’s exile two years from now, they will have a wide pool of youngsters.
