At times, I  wonder if our administrators really have the love of the game they are administering. I have wondered if mounting the saddle of responsibility in Nigeria, has a different spirit or blood  therein. I do wonder if it is the same blood that flow in system that also circulate in the veins of our leaders. I have prayed severally that God should remove that spirit from our leaders and make them think positively when the need arises.

I was baffled last week when we woke up to see a release from the NFF, that three Nigerian Coaches have been appointed to handled the National Women U20 team in a qualifying match against Mauritius. The Coaches were appointed virtually 8 days to the match. The Coaches were expected to thinker the players and build them in to a formidable before before the match in just eight days. Thank God, Mauritius withdrew from the tournament, we had a respite waiting for the next opposition.

When those appointments were made, Box 18 was wondering if FIFA woke up over night to make those fixtures. Findings revealed that the Federations were aware of the fixtures since the conclusion of the last edition of the competition some two years ago.

Though, this may not the first time that the Federation is engaging in act which can easily be described as a sabotage to the country, and placing the Coaches head on the guillotine.

Sometime in 2017, coaches were appointed for the National U17 Girls team barely seven days to a qualifying match. Though, we won the first match against Ethiopia in Benin city, but when we met a formidable side like Cameroon, we were shown the way out.

Same was the case of the U20 team that went to Benin Republic three years ago for U20 qualifiers. We were eliminated in the tournament, and we rose blaming the Coaches. 

Many have argued that we use our population to intimidate some smaller African countries. Reason why we hardly do well at the World level.

Now that many African countries are developing faster in game of football, we need to be proactive in all our doings. There are no minnows in Africa football again . We should stop taking the emotions of Nigerians for granted, because it is basically football that unify the country.

Coaches should be appointed at the right and given enough time to build their teams. No hurriedly assembled team can stand the test of time.

Coaches on their parts, give the administrators the opportunity to toil over them on regular basis. If appointments have been rejected, and the country embarrassed at a crucial time, maybe, this fire brigade approach would have stopped.

I am quite convinced that no foreign coach would ever take up such jobs, but they are meant for Super human beings like Nigerian Coaches.