As the stalemate and hiatus extend almost endlessly on the saga of a search for the next coach of the Super Eagles by thingumabobs in Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), I make bold to ask them: Who is afraid of Emmanuel Amuneke?
However, as I ask this ominous question today, I must also lambaste myself for not haven done so much earlier, considering the depth of a quagmire and labyrinth into which moguls of the NFF have ambled on account of their timidity.
Yes, timidity and docility of the highest order, squeamish as well. Words that make you cringe, but I freely use today to depict why egg heads of Nigerian football continue looking for gold in the ocean.
Once again, for a repeated insidious and noxious time, they are playing Russian Roulette in search of our national team’s messiah in the white man’s land, when he indeed is right there in the courtyard of our camp house. We keep seeing a case of looking for the proverbial coin in Sokoto, when it’s there in the pocket of your shokoto.
Yes, this write-up is meant to wake us up to the reality that the NFF’s best choice as Super Eagles’ coach (unarguably) after the exit of Jose Peseiro should have been, and still is, Emmanuel Amuneke! Sadly, those who are currently holding the gauntlet and reins of running our country’s football (sitting in the patched saddle so comfortably, while the weary horse gallops aimlessly) appear beclouded, befuddled, jaded or fixated about reality.
While the wordsmith warns us to avoid being penny wise and pound foolish, our football lords prefer to be holier than thou; as they ignore the one whose name evokes the presence of God in all that concerns him and our men’s national team.
What’s in a name you may ponder; but we Africans surely know the spiritual, emotional, psychological, traditional and sociological values attached to names. Which is why you won’t find anyone in these parts naming their child Judas or Lucifer. On the other hand, a child born to a Christian family in December is bound to be named Emmanuel … God with us … to reflect his affinity with the longstanding symbolic celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25th.
So, in one way, we could have strategically invoked the presence of God and His spiritual guidance into the Super Eagles by naming Emmanuel Amuneke as coach of the team. Not just superstitious, but mostly symbolic…
I remember two symbolic names that turned out to be huge successes in the English Premier League … Arsene at Arsenal and Klopp for the Kop of Liverpool; thereby reflecting (to an extent) that even Europeans know the import of names and the aura they can exude in the dramatic clime of the round leather game.
That stated, let me quickly point out that this is not a celebration of Emmanuel Amuneke on the threshold of sycophantic tendencies or inter-personal conviviality. It’s not about friendship, but a suss based on existential premises and cogent realities – top of which are his recent strides and the attitudinal factors that go a long way in determining successful team management at the highest level.
The first point is buttressed by the obvious fact that Amuneke’s profile includes a stint as national team coach of Tanzania in the very recent past.
He qualified them for the Africa Cup of Nations after several years of absence and even handled them there in all three group matches. No other Nigerian tactician of the current dispensation has that powerpoint on his CV.
We often say ‘what is good for the goose is good for the gander,’ but why is Amuneke good for Tanzania and anathema for Nigeria? Is it because Jesus said a prophet is not recognised in his own country? So sad.
Before I get to the second point in Amuneke’s favour, I digress again. This time, for anyone still reducing this article to the ethos of friendship or one propelled by an ulterior motive, I need to state clearly that the last time Amuneke and I spoke was 12 years ago, and it was a heated monologue he gave me on phone.
He actually called me out of the blue to admonish me for throwing aspersion on a football academy that was named after him in Ikorodu, Lagos. I was still active in journalism back then and I used a vibrant medium to scold the academy for failing to broker a deal for one of my boys, who spent several months in their camp and got many white elephant promises.
Before then, I met him physically only once in my days of marshalling National Grassroots Dream Team at White Sand Field, Orile-Iganmu, Lagos; where his pet club, Soccer Warriors FC used to train. His youngest brother, Kevin Onyekachi Amuneke scored the first goal for Grassroots All Stars, when we launched the team on December 10th, 1998 with a friendly match against Union Bank FC at Volks Field, Ojo, Lagos. His club’s coach, late Anthony Onuoha (aka Chief) was our foundation technical director at National Grassroots Dream Team. He supported us with players, jerseys and balls, but we never got anything directly from Emmanuel Amuneke, nor did he become my friend … as did Oscar Ezinwa Emmanuel, Alhaji Agboola Dabiri, Dr Ken Egbas, Olisemeka Obi, Ariyo Ashiwaju and many others whom I met on the grassroots terrain. Simply put, Emmanuel Amuneke is not my friend!
That stated, you should lucidly understand that I am not basing this treatise on ‘pally-pally emotions’ or sentiments. On the other hand, I hope anyone reading it will acquise with my veritable externuations that Emmanuel Amuneke indeed should have been appointed as Super Eagles’ head coach instead of Finidi George (with all due respect).
However, in contrast with empirical logic, power brokers in the NFF opted to look the other way and shot themselves in the foot – yet they are still doing so continuously.
This is in deference to my second point that signals Amuneke as ‘Mr Right’ for the Eagles’ top job … being that our biggest player of the moment (Victor Osimhen) was produced by him. Have we forgotten that Amuneke was Osimhen’s coach when the youngster became top scorer en route to helping Nigeria win the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2015? Also in that team was another Eagles’ key player of the moment, Samuel Chukwueze.
Who should have been ‘the automatic’ choice to tinker the boys of yesterday that are now men of today?’ No wonder Osimhen refused to respect the man who ‘despoiled and usurped’ the post he felt his mentor rightfully deserved.
So, achievement and continuity are two strong fulcrums in Amuneke’s favour, but those who call the shots and seal the deals are not looking his way. Why?
They say he is opinionated, fixated, inflexible, haughty, incontrolable and independent minded. So, rather than go for an affordable gaffer who is qualified and available at our finger tip, we would unwittingly hop on a parambulator for a rigmarole that may take us to the precipice … then eventually come back full circle to ground zero.
Yes, I predict that the NFF will surely finally do the needful after the Super Eagles fail to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup; making it the second consecutive edition they would miss.
Mark my words!
*Fasetire is a journalist/school teacher based in Lagos
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