TENDING A GARDEN OF STONES

NPL seat for a fugitive?

 DECISION ON THE NPL WAS FRAUDULENT: It was actually the decision of the Maigari-led Executive Committee of the NFA that took the decision to sack Davidson Owumi and not the Congress of the NFA. Those who were present and who knew said, the matter was not brought up at anytime. So why the Executive Committee had to smuggle a regular decision and make it look like it was a Congress decision?

Owumi...NFF seeks trouble?

LAW AND REASON: Those who crafted the Statute of the NFA must be practical illiterates who dream that it is only their ilks that should continue to govern a very important and high intellectual field like football by saying the minimum requirement to contest any office is having a School Certificate. No wonder the quality of human resources found therein from the grassroots to the secretariat. That apart for now.

Now to the law books of football in the country. Article 68 of the NFF Statutes 2010 edition page 42. Adopted in the Congress that ratified the sack of Lulu & Co. after the election. Though, a retroactive decision.

The Article has it that: “NFF shall create an Arbitration Tribunal which shall deal with all internal national disputes between NFF, its members, players, officials, match and players agent that do not fall under jurisdiction of its judicial bodies. The Executive Committee shall draw up special regulations regarding composition, jurisdiction, procedural rules of this Arbitration Tribunal.”

Did FIFA not ask that the “NFF statute should regulate the basic organisation of the NFF”? FIFA stated unequivocally: The NFF statutes CANNOT interfere in the organisation of other entities, including its members.” I think they either did not see this or read it upside down.

FORGIVING THE NFF TROIKA: Given the fact that they have been forgiven the sins of their impeachment by the same board, this time, ratified by Congress. Can we become speculators? In the matter filed before the Court of Arbitration (CAS) the “Fantastic Four” (including Dr Bolaji Ojo-Oba) postulated that their impeachment was done in error. If they go to court, they can win. If they win, Maigari’s entire board is out! Myopic? Re-assess the legal implications of that decision again? I forsee the Lulu gang coming back through the back door! One of them is designed to take Owumi's seat. Their argument in the NFF? Owumi and Mike Umeh are from the South East. Both of them CANNOT be first and second Vice of the NFF. So Owumi should be sacrificed for a South West person. This is why the candidate for Secretary General (a south east person) can't be announced. So if Owumi gives way, they will sort out these other "jobs for the boys."

IS THE NFA POPULAR?: One truth is, there is no point in time I have seen Nigerians being as unanimous as this case between the NFA and the NPL. My measure is a simple medium. Brila FM has a daily audience participative programme called BACK PASS. It was the last edition for 2010. What a way to close the year? The issue? The NFA decision to sack Davidson Owumi. The anchor was Lawrence Nwachukwu who by the tradition of the said programme is THE SPEAKER. 38 callers, two inductees, seven women. They all voted against Maigari’s NFA. Not one saw any wisdom in their decision. Can this be a good measure of the popularity or and acceptability of the Maigari board?

Ikpeba...exposed fraud in NFA decision

FRAUDULENT TECHNICAL COMMITTEE: So the Technical Committee headed by Barrister Chris Green is afterall a fraud. Did the committee meet to discuss, nominate and ratify the names of Samson Siasia’s assistants as they make Nigeria and Nigerians believe? I heard a member of the committee, the Prince of Monaco Victor Nosa Ikpeba, on Brila FM, insinuating the committee did not meet on these issues. How was the appointment of the coaches then reached? This is fraud. Someone should be told to resign I think.

I thought Ikpeba went to school and is educated. So he should not behave like some of the drop out footballers who know how to play football but will bootlick to survive. Can this be done to Ikpeba and other members of that committee using their names to lie publicly, what then is the hope of our football on the anvil of integrity? This is sad. This is the type of Maigari’s men. Kudos to Ikpeba for speaking out loud. This is also why we beg our athletes to go to school so that they can stand firm like Ikpeba did on this occasion.

GLASS HOUSE: REVELATION CHAPTER ONE

I am in a hurry to declare that Nigerian football has fallen into a deep abyss. A psychologic re-examination of the broad led by Aminu Maigari reveals no hope. I am not shocked to let you know that when a man who attended school has to work under an unschooled boss, confusion will break bone. Uhm, God bless Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

QUICK ONE: Aminu Maigari never attended any school. This is no joke. I have been investigating this in the last two months. The revelations are outstandingly comedic. Our football is surely ‘ADVANCING TO THE REVERSE’. Can these simple questions be answered by those who should know:

1.      Who cleared Aminu Maigari to contest the first and his last NFA elections ‘ab initio’?

2.      Whosoever did (then and now) deserves to rot in jail and in hell;

3.      They all conspired to use their positions to pervert justice. Their action(s) is/are sad and un-Godly.

4.      With what school certificate did he (Maigari) get cleared to run for all the elections he contested and won?

5.      Which examination body awarded Maigari’s certificate?

ISSUES OF PUBLIC INTEREST.

Maigari...Is his certificate troubled?

If a panel assigned with the onerous task of protecting and defending public interest decides, for whatever reasons, to abdicate its duty, screen and pass unfit candidates for an election, at whatever level, is it not fair and just to hold the panel(s), its members, the candidate and everyone who knows of the unfit status of the candidate(s) for the same offence? If you must answer this question recall the so called verdict of the Professor Ibidapo-Obe Committee of the NFF on the last NPL election. (I maintain Ibidapo-Obe’s committee has no place in the NPL or and the NFF statutes). That was an aside as in drama.

Secondly, methinks all such documents submitted for such exercises as above, though private, but since you seek public office, the moment there arises doubts, bothering on your initial qualification, integrity and fitness for the office, not a private nor appointive office, as a public officer, such should be re-investigated in the public interest;

For this reason, I have concluded to invade the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), on the first working day of January 2011 with a happy new year demand for this investigation in the interest of the Nigerian public.

NOW: Since I opened this investigation and sounded it in this blog, I have received subtle new threats. I will welcome an increased threat or direct attempt now that the colour of the cat is revealed.

AGAIN: I gathered two other board members of the current board are simply UNFIT. They are up for the anvil. Any man or woman who lacks integrity have no business working in the GLASS HOUSE nor throwing stones. As they throw stones, we will throw what the Hausa proverb says: “ban gwan kwali uba’n dutse” which the Yorubas translate to mean: “Ogulutu baba oko”. Are you cut off? Sorry.

AFRICA’S FOOTBALL KING: THE DEEPER STORIES

GUEST REPLY TO MY EARLIER PIECE. 

By Gbengus Gbenguse, New York

• babwire7@yahoo.com

 AT THE BEGINNING:

Nice piece you wrote here Mr.Olajide. You are right about how CAF operate as a former colony of the French axis. The problem with the CAF awards dates back to over three decades ago, when CAF allowed France Football magazine to conduct the awards and name who was Africa's best player during that time.

M. K. O. Abiola...challenged CAF for change

The awards were biased and it always favoured players from French and Arab speaking countries in Africa. Even when our teams were winning continental championships in the mid 70's, the award was always given to a player, who either came from the French or Arab speaking countries in Africa.

The sad thing was there was no objection from big footballing countries like Nigeria, Ghana and others who kept quiet and allowed this injustice to continue for many years. It's shame this happened because our own NFA and other football associations, especially the English speaking countries, were clueless on the inner workings on how CAF operated back then, when CAF pretty much contracted everything to France Football.

When, Abdel Halim Mohammad of Sudan and Ydnekatchew Tessema of Ethiopia were in charge of CAF. They allowed things to get out of hand by not taking control of the awards right from the beginning, when they started awarding the best players in the continent in 1970. It's what I call the marginalization of other parts of Africa, whose players also contributed to the immense growth of the game by the impact they had on the field but never got any recognition for their efforts. It was like French re-colonization of Africa all over again, through football, right before our own eyes and nothing was done to stop it. A look at the players, who won the awards during the 70s you will see the list of players and countries that have been selected and picked for the award.

ODEGBAMI WAS CHEATED TOO:

Odegbami...was also cheated

I've always wondered how Segun Odegbami, Nigeria's best player in the 70's for both club and country somehow didn't win the award when he played a pivotal role for Shooting Stars of Ibadan, when they won the Cup Winners Cup in 1976. Yet the award was given to Roger Milla, an African legend, who I like also, but for the fact that he came from a French speaking country which was why he won the award.

The following year in 1977, the award was given to Tarek Dhiab of Tunisia because of his exploits for Esperance FC of Tunisia, but no player from Rangers International of Enugu was recognized after their Cup Winners Cup win that year. Again, when Odegbami played a crucial role in Nigeria's Cup of Nations win in 1980, even scoring two goals in the final against Algeria, he was overlooked and the award was given to Jean Manga-Onguene of Cameroon, who I felt didn't deserve it even till today. The injustices and their selection criteria need a lot of explanation.

M. K. O. ABIOLA:

The biased selection and injustice continued for many years until when Chief M.K.O Abiola (RIP) finally issued an ultimatum to CAF President Issa Hayatou who took over CAF in 1988, for CAF to take over the awards process from France Football magazine and start conducting the awards by themselves or risk losing his presidency for good.

It was this ultimatum that that changed the whole process and in 1992, CAF awarded the first African Footballer of the Year award to Nigerian International Rashidi Yekini who had a great African Cup of Nations tournament in Dakar '92 by being the top scorer in the tournament with five goals.

France Football magazine was still defiant and conducting their own separate awards for best African footballer of the year until they finally gave it up when they realized it was losing its significance and wasn't recognized anymore by the footballing world. Nigerian football lacks the pedigree and voice of someone like Chief M.K.O Abiola, who knew the inner workings of how CAF and other sporting organizations operated and immediately did something to address it when it became clear what was going on.

It was also one of the many reasons why players like Victor Ikpeba, Emmanuel Amunike, and Kanu Nwankwo won the awards and Finidi George, Sunday Oliseh and other African players from different parts of Africa was also recognized for their contribution to African Football. I guess CAF is back to their usual ways of doing things because nobody has challenged them or brought it out in the open on why the process is flawed and not equally fair.

THE ETO’O FUNCTION:

Samuel Eto'o has been one of Africa's best players over the last decade especially with his exploits in Spain, Italy and what he has done for Cameroon. But some of his awards comes with a question mark and he must also be wondering how he keeps getting selected all the time. Asamoah Gyan has been a revelation for Ghana this year at the African Cup of Nations in Angola where his three goals got Ghana to the finals and his crucial goals at the World Cup in South Africa got Ghana to their first ever quarterfinal berth in their only second time in the World Cup.

No doubt, he missed a crucial penalty against Uruguay that would have taken Ghana to the semi-finals of the World Cup, but his contributions to the Black Stars of Ghana and the impact he has had in 2010 cannot also not be denied and should have been awarded the award as a way to herald a new and upcoming player to the world.

The CAF voting process is still flawed and unless African FA's like Nigeria, Ghana and others speak up and demand a fair process on how these selections are made, we shall continue to see shades of what it was like back then, when France Football magazine was conducting the awards. The process must change.

Also, when Austin JJ Okocha should have won the award in 1998, he lost by just two points to Moroccan international Mustapha Hadji. Festus Onigbinde and Paul Bassey, two of Nigeria's representatives in CAF during that time forgot to vote for him! In 2003, when he should have won the award, after a fantastic season with Bolton Wanderers, saving them from relegation and guiding them to a League Cup Final, he lost out to Eto'o.

Christian Chukwu, Nigeria's coach at that time failed to vote because NFF didn't bother to give the form to him to complete after they claimed CAF didn't fax or send the form to them. In 2004 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia, where Austin JJ Okocha gave a career performance and won the MVP, but yet somehow, lost out to Samuel Eto'o again for reasons unknown.

AFRICA’S FOOTBALL KING: THE DEBATE BETWEEN ETO’O AND GYAN

Gyan...surprise loser of title

Cameroonian striker, Samuel Eto’o finally won the 2010 African Footballer of the year awards. That leaves me with the same question I asked before the awards, what are the criteria CAF adopts  in picking the African football king?

The winner of the award which seems is losing steam yearly was said to have been decided by votes from national coaches and captains of the continent’s 53 countries affiliated to the Confederation of African Football (CAF). 

Asamoah Gyan is a debutant finalist. Samuel Eto’o has already won the award back-to-back (2003, 2004, 2005). Didier Drogba won it in 2006 and 2009. Before CAF’s Gyan was crowned BBC African Footballer of the Year for 2010. This is a bigger and truer reflection of my mind set.

Is it not true that Asamoah Gyan had a more memorable year internationally for the Black Stars of Ghana? Ghana got to the second place at the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. He scored three of the four goals that helped the Black Stars reach a final in 18 years. 

He also churned out impressive performances at the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa but will however be remembered for his penalty kick miss which denied Ghana the berth to be Africa’s first team to get to the semi finals of the World Cup. Yet, his contribution to that feat remains indelible and memorable.

For Eto’o, after the success in his Club World Cup with European champions, Inter Milan, his Most Valuable Player award further strengthens his case as a deserving winner of the African award. Eto’o won the triple with Inter earlier in the year and he scored the second goal against TP Mazembe in the Club World Cup final in Abu Dhabi. The 29-year-old forward also broke the record for the most African Nations Cup finals goals with his national side at the start of the year among other achievements. This is where my colleagues, Nnamdi Okosieme and Collins Udoh stands.

OUTSTANDING ETO’O:

I stand on facts and records that Eto’o scored over 100 goals in five seasons with his previous club FC Barcelona, and is also the record holder in number of appearances by an African player in La Liga. In 2010, he became the first player to win two European Continental Trebles following his back-to-back achievements with Barcelona and Internazionale. He is the second player to have ever scored in two separate UEFA Champions League finals and the fourth player, after Marcel Desailly, Paulo Sousa and Gerard Piqué, to have won the UEFA Champions League two years in a row with different teams. He is also the most decorated African player of all time. He is the first ever player to win two trebles back-to-back.

Eto'O...holding undesired title?

Gyan, I staunchly believe should  have won the award on the strength of his contributions both at the club level and national team.  While Eto’o had all his diadems coming from club contributions. This, I INSIST is not enough for CAF to have awarded him the Africa player of the year title for 2010.  

CAF IS A SECRET FRENCH CLUB:

There certainly are some other secret values informing the choice of the African Footballer of the Year that CAF (a secret cult) is not telling us concerning methods they usually adopt in considering players for the award, at club level, at world cup level, which is more prestigious and mostly watched by all.

In my opinion, CAF should tell the African public what are these other considerations. There are certain interests involved when considering who takes the Africa player of the year award.  When Emmanuel Adebayo won it IN 2008 at the expense of Mohamed Aboutrika of Egypt, it was widely clear to those who know that the Togolese did not deserve it. The French connect became re-established. In the same token, in 2003 in Yaounde, the Camrounian capital, where previews had rated Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha ahead of others for the award, it was given to Samuel Eto’O Fils.

The other was either 2001 or 2002 when the same Okocha was so highly rated for the first time to  lift the title, it was ‘snatched’ and donated to Senegal’s Hadji Diouf. These well documented robbing Peter to pay French Paul is already rubbishing the integrity of the award.  Players from the Anglophone or Arab speaking countries of Africa are treated differently when the interest of the francophone countries are at stake. 

The recent CAF awards had lent credence to the fact that Francophone nations understand how and when to create all the necessary historical landmark in football as against their Anglophone counterparts. Eto’o 2010 emergence was to make him the fourth winner! QED.

Gyan’s three goals propelled Ghana to the final of the African Cup of Nations in Angola in January and six months later led the Black Stars to the quarter finals of the World Cup. 

Eto’o was an integral part of Inter’s success last term, scoring 16 goals during a highly successful campaign under then coach Jose Mourinho. However, his exploits with the

ROBBING GHANA’S HARDWORK:

 Before the award, Ghanaians were upbeat about the chances of their protégé, Gyan, winning their first African Footballer of the Year award after 17 years. Abedi Pele Ayew won the award in 1991, 1992 and 1993 with Michael Essien coming close in five record personal times in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. 

Ghana Football Association (GFA) President, Kwesi Nyantakyi said he will be surprised if Gyan fails to win the award this time giving his contributions in the 2010 Nations Cup in Angola and 2010 World Cup in South Africa. 

“Ghanaians are very hopeful and we at GFA think this is the year of Ghana having been nominated for three award categories.” Ghana clinched the National team of the Year award while young star, Kwadwo Asamoah of Udinese was nominated for Young Player of the Year. 

Supporting his claims in favour of the Sunderland of England forward, Nyantakyi said, “Looking at all three nominees, you’ll agree with me that Gyan made the most contributions to African football this year. He carried a weak Ghana team on his shoulders to the finals in Angola, scoring four goals and at the World Cup; he was the most outstanding African player left to me as an individual. 

Eto’O and Drogba made no significant contribution to their national teams like Gyan during the period under review. Even Eto’o in his inner mind played down suggestions that his latest award makes him the continent’s greatest ever player. It saw Eto’o surpass Abedi Pele and George Weah, who took the title three times each in the past. 

LAGOS FA ELECTION: GOV FASHOLA CAN THIS BE TRUE?

Gov Babatunde Fashola (SAN)

It is sad that while the world and the nation is waiting and watching for football aficionado and lawyer governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) to lead the way in the most appropriate media, election, to fill FA boards, reports oozing out of the state is dirty, condemnable and undemocratic.

The facilities manager of Teslim Balogun Stadium, Godson Uti, was quoted to have declared Fashola’s interest to use government fiat in the election on who becomes the new LSFA board chairman.

Fashola, a lawyer and staunch advocate of Rule of Law believes and preached before now that “no government interference” in the management of football in the state. He is an avid player of the game himself. He had at various occasions washed the state government’s hands off the LSFA board election.

His words:  “Our administration will not interfere in the running of football as directed by the world football governing body, FIFA.”

As if taking a cue from his boss, Adeniji-Adele, the Commissioner for Sports had repeatedly said that the state government will not in anyway interfere in the affairs of the board as regards the election saying that the aspirants should go the polls.

Uti, at the meeting of Congress of the LSFA, peopled by club owners in the state held at his Teslim Balogun Stadium office, Tuesday said “the Governor has a candidate in mind and that the Governor whom he calls by his first name, Babatunde, will do whatever he (Uti) asked him Fashola to do”.

Uti, further said at the meeting as disclosed by a member of the club owners who attended the meeting that the Governor cannot do without him and that as a member of the same All Star Football team in the state, he will influence the governor.

He was said to have told those in attendance at the meeting that the Governor already has a candidate and the message to the Congress from the Governor to them is to support his candidate whose identity was not revealed.”

After the congress meeting which opened the procurement of forms for the various elective positions from today, the election is scheduled for the 31^st December, 2010.

NEW SCANDALS BREWING IN THE HOUSE OF FOOTBRAWL

NFF boss Aminu Maigari...cooking new troubles

As the news of Globacom losing the open bid for the title sponsorship of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) hits the public domain, it was obvious that there was wild jubilation in the clubs, the final beneficiaries of the exercise and the ultimate organ of authority being the Congress. I phoned six of the club managers who expressed serious relieve from “the irresponsibility of Glo” as one of them described the Nigerian telecommunication giant.

MYOPIC NFF: However, in a statement on Friday, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which considered itself as “the supreme authority for all matters relating to football in the country”, described as “unacceptable” the decision by the NPL board to go contrary to the standard norms and protocols which such an issue demanded, insisting that the matter could have benefitted from the Federation’s input and advice.

The NFF also observed that owing to the unresolved leadership issues at the Nigeria Premier League, on which the Federation is expected to make a pronouncement soon, it would have been advisable for the NPL to defer matters involving long-term sponsorship relationships/agreements/deals with third parties, until the NFF’s decision on the leadership question.
The Federation went ahead to express strong reservations about the announcement of a long-term relationship with a corporate body by a leadership that still has issues around its neck, saying propriety has been sacrificed.

ISSUES FOR RESOLUTION:

Where was this same NFF when the league started without a sponsor? Has Globacom added any value to the sponsorship they had in the last four years? Did the NPL gain from the Globacom sponsorship in the last four years? Has Globacom paid fully, as a responsible corporate citizen, for the last sponsorship? Was it not the same Globacom NPL took to court for allegedly not behaving responsibly? Where was NFF’s input and advice all these while? Unconfirmed reports say some men in the NFF got N50m from Glo to ensure MTN does not finally emerge. Is it true, Maigari and NFF?

LEADERSHIP OF THE NPL: It is sad that the NFF with it’s tainted election which is still subject of contention both in Nigeria (by Jiti Ogunye and Ray Nnaji) and in Switzerland (by Olusegun Odegbami) is leaving the log in its eyes and is trying to over write the Congress of the NPL.

Between the NFF and the Congress of the NPL, which is superior in matters of the league? This is a simple question that FIFA has for so long resolved in favour of the Congress. So where did the NFF think they will get the issue resolved because the NFF board apart from messing itself up again, securing more court cases, and further making the game face disrepute because of her members’ selfish interests, should have left Owumi alone.

Is Owumi wanted by the Congress of the league? Yes. Why is the NFF’s interest higher and bigger than the club owners? If there is a new election today, what is the purpose to be achieved? Trouble dey sleep, yanga go wake am. The outcome will surely blow more evil, mark my words!

NEW SCANDALS: I have been on an investigation that has revealed some dirty unforgiveable and God-damned secrets in the Glass House. A very top official therein parading a fake certificate with which he has repeatedly ‘qualified’ to sit on the Board.

There is also the cases of some people whose ‘dirty’ moral characters is so questionable that they should honourably resign lest in the new year be forced to dishonourably resign. Watch out! Revelations!