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Opinion Update

An Untimely Call That Backfired In Face Of Mediocrity

If truly President Muhammadu Buhari spoke to the Super Eagles team before the Tunisia game on Sunday, the point for me is why hurriedly rush the President to speak to the team ahead of a Round of 16 tie?

What level of hypocricy and sycophancy can we call this?

I know for a fact some people because they wanted to look good in the eyes of the President, they ill adviced him to talk to the boys in this early stage of the competition.

Let us get it clear, there is nothing wrong with the President speaking with the boys ( a fatherly call), but it is just too early in the competition to pull such stunt.

I remembered even as a young boy in Tunisia 1994, the Military Head of State then, Gen. Sani Abacha, spoke to the Eagles.

The question is when did he talk to them?

The day of the final between the Eagles and the Chipolopolo of Zambia.

That is a case of putting a call through to the team at the right time as the No. 1 citizen of the country, not in the Round of 16 of the Nations Cup.

This is a competition that in the last two decades that getting to the last four is almost our birthright even with the most challenging Eagles side.

Let us not forget that Nigeria is not a small footballing country on the continent like Comoros, who will play in a knockout phase of a Nations Cup for the very first time in their history when they face hosts Cameroon.

So, if the President of Comoros for example put this kind of call through to the players at this stage, it is totally understandable and in order, but not a country like ours.

Unfortunately, those that hurriedly convinced the President to speak to the team were actually not thinking of the team, but they did that for personal gains.

They wanted to be seen as working and also used that to further penetrate the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.

In fact, the charades started in the group stage when we started taking the CBN Governor to the dressing room of the players to announce promises upon promises, which for me were total distractions and uncalled for.

We just like doing things upside down for various selfish motives and too bad this time around our mediocrity was exposed very early.

By Michael Obasi

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