The 21st edition of the Summit of World Football, the FIFA World Cup, began in Russia yesterday with 32 teams across the globe. The tournament is taking place in Eastern Europe for the first time with Germany as defending champions. One of Nigeria’s group opponents, Iceland, and Panama, are making their first appearance ever.

The Super Eagles begin the quest for honours at the tournament tomorrow with high expectations from their countrymen and women. The Eagles must brush aside the poor runs in their recent friendly games and go for broke against Croatia in their first match. In terms of organisation, Nigeria has not had it so good. The challenge is the quality and fitness of the present squad. Let us remind ourselves that this team remains work in progress, but the resilience of Nigerians in times of adversity could take the team beyond our expectations. Good luck, boys.

On the whole, 64 matches will be played across 12 venues, with 36 referees, 63 assistants from 46 countries presiding. And for the first time, too, video assistant referees are on duty.

Africa’s representatives, Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia, are battle-ready. As a Nigerian, I wish my country went all the way. That is if wishes were horses. Egypt is enjoying high rating among teams from Africa because of half-fit Mo Salah. Why not? The Liverpool talisman is in the best form of his life. But watch out for Senegal. Almost every member of the Senegalese squad is commanding a first team shirt in his club. It takes quality to make impact at global stage of any sporting event and Senegal has it.

With the absence of soccer superpowers like Italy and the Netherlands, all eyes are on the defending champions, Germany, most decorated World Cup team Brazil, 2010 winners, Spain, and France with an outside chance. Argentina has been disappointing in recent outings, especially during the qualifiers but, with Messi, write them off at your own peril.

However, Brazil has been in devastating form right from the qualifying series till date. Every potential World Cup winner must have a talisman, a playmaker, and Brazil has one in Neymar Jr. If Neymar regains full fitness, and Brazil’s star-studied squad reproduces their form leading to this tournament, Russia 2018 World Cup will be theirs to lose.

SWAN, Abiola and his jokes

As Nigerians celebrate the honour being bestowed on the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election, Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawole Abiola, MKO, one group that should not take the back seat in the celebration is the Sportswriters Association of Nigeria (SWAN). To say that sport was the biggest loser in the annulment of that historic election is an understatement.

MKO was everything sports represent: Fairness, unity, equity, empowerment, happiness and, above all, entertainment. He was the grand patron of SWAN, Pillar of Sports in Africa, the only person deserving of that position till date. Bashorun was an all-rounder in his support. There was no aspect of sports that did not feel his philanthropy., in most cases, the sole sponsor of most sporting activities. Our sports administrators, past and present, must have lost count of how many times he saved Nigeria from international embarrassment, arising from inability of sports federations to raise funds to participate in scheduled events. In addition, he was present at most global sports events.
One group that was always looking forward to his arrival at such events were sportswriters. We knew what his arrival meant and journalists from other African countries were not left out of expectations. And he never disappointed. He was truly Africa’s Pillar of Sports.

Related News

Members of the leadership of SWAN, which cut across the country, were not spared the prying eyes of the military junta. Many of us were not always on the streets with the main human rights activists but we never failed to mark his birthday while he was in detention. We used such occasions to call for his release. Our colleagues in Concord newspapers were endangered species. They were marked and monitored.

Unknown to us, the evil regime’s hitmen were trailing us as we transversed the country in our official branded car, with MKO boldly written on it as the donor and grand patron. Perhaps, we were so naive not to notice that the vehicles with tainted windscreen and heavily-armed men in dark eyeglasses, always driving beside our car, especially whenever we were in Abuja, were on surveillance.

However, one incident happened, which showed that either MKO expected more from us or was not fully aware of our travails. When he returned from his diplomatic shuttles around the world to draw global attention to the annulment, we paid him a solidarity visit. In his usual element, we were warmly received but not without a strike from the ‘generalissimo’ of Yorubaland. He wondered why we were not coming as closely as we ought to. And without waiting for our response he attempted to guess the reason.

“I understand why you people have not come around before now. Probably, you were waiting to see where the pendulum was swinging to”, he quipped.

We scampered a little before narrating our ordeal. He encouraged us not to give up, as victory was certain. We didn’t know if the jab thrown at us was one of his numerous jokes.

He was never short of jokes, history and proverbs. Remember that in that historic year of 1993, the Golden Eaglets, the Wilson Oruma/Nwankwo Kanu set, won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Japan. MKO, as usual, organised a reception in honour of the victorious teens. He commended them for their exploits and dropped his usual salvo: “In the congregation, everybody will not be possessed by the Holy Spirit at the same time. Some will be possessed while others will be chorusing Hallelujah.” According to Bashorun, the Eaglets were the ones so possessed at the time, while the rest of the country was saying Hallelujah”.

He was a great man who was always ready to compromise for peace to reign. This was clearly demonstrated in his popular proverb, which says: “if rape becomes inevitable, a wise woman should relax and enjoy it.” I guess if it’s at gunpoint. Stressing on the importance of unity, MKO would always remind all that: “Nobody can clap with one hand, if in doubt, try it.” In demonstrating his love for fairness and justice he insisted; “You cannot shave someone’s hair in his absence.”
Feel free to add your own.

Till next week, keep attacking.