Nigerian football administrators must learn to plan and follow through, says Mutiu Adepoju

With Nigeria’s Super Eagles missing from the Qatar 2022 roster, former international and two-time World Cup participant, Mutiu Adepoju, has advocated that success will only happen when a cogent plan for the national team and Nigerian football and the discipline to follow through is in place.

Speaking at a PREMIUM TIMES Twitter Spaces programme on Wednesday, Adepoju, popularly known as the ‘Headmaster’ said if Nigeria is not to miss the next World Cup in 2026, then the administrators must think long-term instead of the present short-term thoughts.

“Well, this is nothing new and we keep saying what we should do differently. We know what should have done and how to do it, which people should do it and when to do it.

“The only thing is that we always procrastinate,” he stated, “and always think that as time goes on, we are going to be okay and that everything will be okay.

“You don’t plan just one year or two years. There must be a plan of 10 years which we have never done,” he stated.

“I could remember when I was in Spain, the squad that won the World Cup (in 2010) and Euro, those plans were for 10 years and we have never done something like that here in Nigeria.

“All other countries like Germany-they made their plan for 10 years, 20 years and they followed all those plans. That’s why they are having the successes they are having, but we just want to stay together for one year and work. It isn’t possible.

“We have to plan for many years and that’s why countries succeed. But if we just say we want to plan one year or two years, we will go nowhere.”

Nigeria first qualified for the World Cup in 1994, a tournament Mr Adepoju played in and he was also a part of the 1998 squad, in which he scored in the famous 3-2 win over Spain.

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Mr Adepoju continued, “Yes, we have been qualifying for the World Cup because of the talent, but there has to be a plan and follow the plan. The structure, emolument for the players and everything has to be in place.

“For example, in the last World Cup qualifiers, I hear that they have not paid the players their allowances. Even the Eagles that are in Portugal [for Thursday’s friendly game] and those that have gone out there to play. Coaches, their contracts, and players and their allowances; and you want success?

“If all this isn’t done and everything isn’t put into place, you cannot succeed. That’s just the main fact we have to tell ourselves and do. If we continue to do it the same way, we will continue to get the same result.”

While the Headmaster spoke extensively about planning, he also stated that the local league should get a facelift to harness the abundant talents at its disposal.

“Our league has to be structured, it has to be active every time because if the clubs are professional we are going to get the talent from there and if there’s organisation, everything will work.

“But if they are just depending on the players abroad… We have talent here too, but if everything is working at home and abroad, we will have a way of getting from every part. Either from Nigeria or foreign players too and we will put them together and everything will work.

“Before then, our league should work, our league should be standard, our league should be professional because not everybody will go abroad to play and if the league is professional, it will even feel easy.

“With what is happening now, our home-based players can’t compete with foreign-based players.

“Professionalism of the clubs, the structure of the league and clubs. Everything should be followed to the letter and there shouldn’t be favouritism. The officiating and everything should work and we should get sponsors and football should be active on TV so it will be attractive to people.”

The Eagles lost out to the Black Stars on away goals in the last phase of qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup. Prior to the disappointment, they had qualified for 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, and 2018 editions, with their best finishes being second-round berths in 1994, 1998, and 2014.