With only six days to the June 14 kick off date of the 2018 FIFA World Cup fiesta holding in Russia, all attention is now focused on the round leather game and how the 32 participating countries will fare in the tournament, which holds once every four years. On the one hand, it is a game. It is also an entertainment of sort. It brings joy to so many people. It also brings heart attack and sadness to some people, especially those on the losing side of the game.
On the other hand, it is like going to a war. It is a game of soccer supremacy. It is never no respecter of any team or person. In the game, all the teams are equal, including the highly rated and the underdogs of the tournament. The football event has all the elements of warfare. There is attack and defence and there is the struggle to score goals by the attackers. It is game of friends and foes alike. The game rewards the best, the second best and the third best.
All the participating teams are rewarded according to each team’s performance and the stage it reached. Therefore, it is a win-win situation for all the participants. The game unites the world and all humanity. It is built on common humanity and shared values and friendship through soccer. It is a unifying factor. There is also the dangerous pushing and shoving as well as wicked tackles of the opponents all in a bid to score a goal.
To ensure a fair play, it has rules of engagement just like in warfare. There are ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ as well. Any infringement on its rules attracts commensurate fine. It has a referee or an umpire who ensures that he game is played according to the rules. The referee is assisted by assistant referees or what used to be called linesmen who stay on the sidelines. At times, the umpire may not be fair to a team.
The biases of the umpire are shown in so many ways. A referee can feign ignorance on a penalty and refuse to award it. At times, the referee can award frivolous penalty or other punishment at his discretion. Although FIFA does not subscribe to racism, at times it is exhibited in the game between whites and people of colour. Despite the shortcomings, unarguably, the World Cup remains the most glamourous and greatest football event in the world. In Nigeria, all attention is now shifted to our representatives, the Super Eagles, and how far they will go in the mundial.
The World Cup is for men and not for boys. It is an arena where nations display their best talents in football. It is a big stage where nations put their best eleven forward. Therefore, any team that qualifies for the event should be regarded as a champion on its own right. In this wise, no team should be underrated by any side. Every World Cup event has its own thrills, disappointments and surprises. All these are elements of the soccer game.
The Super Eagles, our representatives, should go out there and conquer the world. This is not our first outing at the global football stage. They should display their best talents in the field of play and play with team spirit and achieve their set goal. Their duty is to score goals and goals in a fair and competitive manner, too. They should never underrate any side.
Any team is a possible winner in the tournament. They should not be distracted no matter the circumstance. The team handlers should read every mach accurately and know what to do at each stage. All the African teams, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal and Nigeria, should also work harder. We have reached a stage where an African nation can win the World Cup. It is never a tall order. It is not a rocket science. It is an achievable goal. That should be the goal of our representatives at the mundial.
We have played the role of spectators enough. We have participated enough. It is now time to clinch the trophy. That is my wish to the Super Eagles. That is also my wish to other African teams at the game. They should go out and bring the trophy to African soil. For the period the event will last, June 14-July 15, all eyes will be glued to the television, radio, internet, newspapers for update on the event.
There is going to be moments of anxiety and moments of joy. While the game lasts, politics and other issues will be temporarily suspended in Nigeria. All Nigerians will again be united by the fiesta and the national discourse will centre on soccer and how our team and our boys are doing. With the game on, we forget our differences and all eyes will focus on the game.
How I wish we could conduct our national and political affairs just like a game of football in which we assemble our best eleven irrespective of their ethnicity or religion. It is only when we put our best eleven forward that we succeed. Our politics is bad simply because our best eleven are outside its orbit. Our leadership is bad because we have refused to field our best eleven.
We need our best eleven in politics, in religion, in commerce and industry. We need the best eleven in every department of life. We need the best in every sector of the economy. We must put our best in the health sector, education, power, housing, works and others. Without our best eleven, we are going nowhere. Countries that fare well always field their best eleven.
As a country, we need to set realistic goals and always aim at achieving them for the benefit of all Nigerians. Our politics should aim at better life for every Nigerian. As we are unified through sports, let us use the sports spirit to realise the goals of our founding fathers.
Instead of singing the dirge, let us sing the song of glory and happiness. Let us sing the song of unity, equity, justice and progress for all Nigerians. The handlers of the team should make sure that they are promptly paid all their allowances. I say this because in previous outings, we have had problems with the issue of allwance.
The team’s psychologist must also work on the team and provide them with the necessary guidance tips as well as how to manage stress both inside and outside the field of play. The supporters club should cheer the players to victory in every match. They should be ready to give the players the needed psychological support with their songs.
I wish the Super Eagles a successful outing at the mundial. They should rise to the occasion and make all of us proud.