The drive by the current board of the NFF to improve the beautiful game in Nigeria especially in aspect of helping National team coaches with backroom analysis, match preparation and match reading was stepped up today when a group made up largely of former footballers, coaches and some administrators departed for London from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos on Monday for a two-week capacity building program in the UK.
The two–week capacity building exercise, put together by the Nigeria Football Federation, and powered by the Taleveras Foundation is a welcome development as this is one area where most Nigerian national teams could do with some help.
on hand to see the group off was NFF President, Amaju Pinnick, NFF first vice president Seyi akinwunmi and the Chief Executive Officer of Taleveras Foundation, Mr. Igho Sanomi of the Taleveras Foundation whose company has been bankrolling most of the “capacity building programs” of the Pinnick led NFF board so far.
NFF Sends team off To London For Capacity Building Programme
The group led by NFF board member Chris Green is made up of the following Nigerian football personalities:
Ahmed Yaro-Yaro, Ann Chiejine, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, Dahiru Sadi, David Ngodigha, Edema Fuludu, Florence Omagbemi, Garba Lawal, Idris Musa, Isah Ladan Bosso, John Obuh, Nasiru Jibril, Nwankwo Kanu, Salisu Yusuf, Shaibu Amodu, Siji Lagunju, and Yisa Sofoluwe.
The objective of the exercise is to enable the persons selected to return to Nigeria empowered with the right technical tool with which to provide effective backroom support to the technical crew of Nigeria’s National Teams, as at when required.
Member of the NFF Executive Committee and former chairman of the Technical and Development Committee, Barrister Chris Green is at the head of a 19–man contingent traveling to the United Kingdom on Monday for a two–week capacity building exercise, at the instance of Nigeria Football Federation,
Concerned about the need to develop qualified persons in the country to help coaches of the National Teams in the areas of match reading, match preparation and backroom analysis, the NFF sought sponsorship from Taleveras Foundation to enhance the capacity of these persons through a special programme. Taleveras Foundation was only too happy to be part of a move in support of Nigeria’s football development.
Barr. Chris Green
The objective of the exercise is to enable the persons selected to return to Nigeria empowered with the right technical tool with which to provide effective backroom support to the technical crew of Nigeria’s National Teams, as and when required.
NFF President, Amaju Melvin Pinnick and the Chief Executive Officer of Taleveras Foundation, Mr. Igho Sanomi will be at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos on Monday to see the delegation off to England.
The exercise is with the full support and effort of The Football Association, the Professional Football Coaches Association led by Dave Richardson, the League Managers’ Association led by Graham Mackrel, and Full-time Marketing and Logistics represented by Danny Stones.
Also on the trip are former National Team Head Coach Shaibu Amodu and former Super Eagles’ captains Austin Jay-Jay Okocha (new chairman of Delta State Football Association), Nwankwo Kanu and Garba Lawal.
There are also respected former internationals Yisa Sofoluwe, David Ngodigha, Edema Fuludu, Dahiru Sadi, Siji Lagunju and Nasiru Jibril.
Former U-20 National Team Head Coach, Isah Ladan Bosso, former Super Eagles’ Assistant Coach Salisu Yusuf, former U-17 and U-20 Head Coach Sam John Obuh and former Super Falcons’ captains Florence Omagbemi and Ann Chiejine are also included. Coaches Ahmed Yaro-Yaro and Idris Musa also make the list.
The group will be based at Champneys, Leicestershire on arrival, and on Tuesday will listen to ‘Preparation on Scouting’ by former Everton FC player Ian Atkins, now Chief Scout at the Goodison Park, and another paper by former Wolves manager John Ward, before departing for Villa Park to watch the Premier League match between Aston Villa and West Brom. A full time analysis and de-briefing on the match will be led by John Ward later on Tuesday night.
Former Super Eagles’ captain, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has been elected chairman of the Delta State Football Association.
At the elections conducted in Asaba on Friday, and supervised by Member of the NFF Executive Committee, Alhaji Babagana Kalli, Okocha polled 26 out of the 27 votes cast.
One of only two Nigerian footballers to play at three FIFA World Cup finals, Jay-Jay Okocha’s club career took him through Germany, France, England and Turkey, and he is presently Head of the NFF Technical Study Group.
Okocha, who had served as vice chairman before the elevation, replaces Mr. Amaju Melvin Pinnick, who announced his intention to relinquish the post on the very day he was elected President of Nigeria Football Federation, September 30, 2014.
The Nigerian Men’s national football team were initially nicknamed the Red Devils until Veteran Journalist and Sports administrator Peter Osugo made a case for the name of the team to be changed to the Green Eagles in the early sixties.
A quick look at Nigeria’s “coat of arms” and flag would reveal were the inspiration for the naming of the Mens football team and some other sports teams derived their names from.
The Green in the team’s name was taken from the Nigerian National Flag
While the Eagle in their name was taken from the “coat of arms”. a couple of other Nigerians teams have taken this same route. The Nigerian Rugby national team are called the “Black Stallions”.
The “Green Eagles” eventually became known as the “Super Eagles” after another successful outing by the team.
The advent of Age grade competitions and Women’s football meant that national teams were created and they also had to be named like the existing teams. In Nigeria the Under 20 men’s team was nicknamed the “Flying Eagles” (all eagles fly though). Then came the Eaglets in 1985 who were renamed the “Golden Eaglets” after their inaugural campaign in China saw them winning gold at the FIFA U16 World Championship.
The Nigerian Women Senior national team are known as the Falcons, while their Under 20 counterparts are known as the Falconets, the Under 17 Women’s team are called the Flamingos.
But the main focus of this writer is the Nigerian national under 23 men’s team popularly addressed as the “Dreamteam” the current crop of the young nigerian footballers are now being called “Dreamtean 6” and this is nothing but laughable.
The Nigerian Under 23 team was first called the “Dreamteam” during the build up to the Atlanta 96 Olympic games were an all-star squad was assembled to represent Nigeria at the football event of the Olympic games.
The Original Dream Team
The Dreamteam, photo credit uproot.com
The moniker “Dreamteam” was “borrowed” from the AllStar basketball team that represented the USA at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, and this was truly a “Dreamteam” both on and off the court.
A team that had Charles Barkley of the Phoenix Suns, Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz, Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls, just to name a few, No one could ever argue with the fact that this was truly a “Dreamteam” by all standards.
The Nigerian “Dreamteam”
This team had a blend of Nigeria’s Super Eagles and some extremely talented footballers all assembled together from different teams at home and abroad.
Joseph Dosu (Julius Berger fc) and Emmanuel Babayaro of Plateau United coincidental were the only “homebased” players in the team, all the other outfield players were based in various parts of the world, Sunday Oliseh played for Fc Köln in Germany, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha played for Eintracht Frankfurt also Germany the team Everton of England Striker Daniel Amokachi, Kanu Nwankwo was with Ajax Amsterdam. Emmanuel Amuneke was then with Sporting CP in Portugal. The “Dreamteam” also had Victor Ikpeba of AS Monaco in France.
The Real Nigerian Dreamteam, Atlanta 96 Olympic Games
The Presence of the Above listed players and others not listed earned the team the Moniker “Dreamteam” we have decided to had the full team list below for emphasis:
1 GK Emmanuel Babayaro Plateau United
2 DF Celestine Babayaro Anderlecht
3 DF Taribo West Auxerre
4 FW Nwankwo Kanu Ajax
5 DF Uche Okechukwu Fenerbahçe
6 MF Emmanuel Amuneke Sporting CP
7 MF Tijani Babangida Roda
8 MF Wilson Oruma Lens
9 MF Teslim Fatusi Ferencváros
10 MF Jay-Jay Okocha Eintracht Frankfurt
11 FW Victor Ikpeba AS Monaco
12 DF Abiodun Obafemi Toulouse
13 FW Garba Lawal Espérance
14 FW Daniel Amokachi Everton
15 MF Sunday Oliseh Köln
16 DF Kingsley Obiekwu Go Ahead Eagles
17 DF Mobi Oparaku Anderlecht
18 GK Dosu Joseph Julius Berger
This team indeed lived up to all the hype surrounding it and went on to win the elusive football gold medal for Nigeria at the Atlanta Olympic games in 1996, claiming the scalps of major football powerhouses Argentina and Brazil.
This writer believes that without a doubt this was the true “Dreamteam” and the team’s achievements justified this, But truly this is where the Football federation should have created a proper identity for this team, but eighteen years down the line Football commentators, analyst, and even the fans are stuck with the dilemma of renaming the Nigeria U23 team “Dreamteam 6” (which means that there’s been six different “Dreamteams”).
Its time for the NFF to name the Nigerian Under 23 properly, enough of this Dreamteam business, Most of the players in the current Under23 team and even the teams that came after the Atlanta 96 team have been made up of virtually unknown players so what makes it a “Dreamteam” ?
Are we going to continue adding numbers to the so called “Dreamteam” every time a new team is put together?
DreamTeam? No, Its Time For The NFF To Rename This Team
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