THE year 2011 will go down in history as Nigeria's worst in international football. This is the year when all the national teams failed to measure up to the standards the country is known for.It will go down in the annals of the game that Nigeria for the first time in African football failed to qualify for the women soccer event of the All African Games, as well as the London 2012 Olympics. The country also failed to qualify for the men's football event of the London 2012 Olympic Games and capped it all with failure to qualify for next year's African Nations Cup, scheduled to hold in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.These are happening at a time when many soccer pundits believe the country should be reaping from the fruits of its youth teams, which in the last five years have been among the best in the world.The argument is that a country, which won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2007, got to the quarterfinal of the U-20 World Cup same year, as well as finished as runner up in the 2009 U-17 World Cup, should be capable of presenting a team that could rival the best sides in world football.That Nigeria is not up there among the great football nations of the world, according to sports lawyer, Sabinus Ikewuaku, is a sign that something fundamental is wrong with its football.According to Ikewuaku, 'What is happening to Nigeria now is the fruit of all the years of deceit and cheap victories won at the cost of developing the game from the grassroots.'Ikewuaku believes that if the country failed to stop the practices stifling the growth of the game now, Nigeria could miss out in the 2013 Nations Cup and the Brazil 2014 World Cup.'The import of what has befallen the country will actually dawn on Nigerians when the Nations Cup begins next year. We are still not actually aware that Nigeria is no longer among the best 16 countries in Africa. This is a country that was once the fourth best team in the world and it is now languishing at the basement of regional football.'It is sad that people who should address the rot are busy passing the buck. The truth is that our football is at its lowest ebb and the only way to halt the slide is for all stakeholders to come together and resolve to serve it in the interest of the country.'We must discard the win-at-all-cost syndrome and plan for the development of the game from the grassroots. In doing that, we must pay special attention to the youth teams and ensure that only eligible players are picked for youth tournaments.'According to Ikewuaku, Nigeria lost the opportunity of reinventing its football when it chose to field old men at the Korea 2007, and Nigeria 2009 among other youth tournaments, where the country was hailed for its 'excellent' performance.'When you look at what the team coached by the Late Yemi Tella did and the current status of the players' in the game, you will shed tears for Nigeria.'Chrisantus Macauley and Rabiu Ibrahim were touted as the next big things in world football, but while Toni Kroos of Germany has matured to be a regular in his country's senior national team, our boys have fizzled out of the game.'We used old men in 2009 because we wanted to host and win and now we cannot point at any of the players capable of playing for the Super Eagles. Cross River State hosted the All Nigeria Secondary School Championship last month and it is a shame that nobody from the football federation was there to see the boys, who should be the future of the Nigerian game. With that attitude from the administrators of the game, tell me how things will change for the better''Also calling for a radical change in Nigeria's attitude to youth football, Super Eagles former striker, Jonathan Akpoborie says the country could rise again if it adopted the German model.He said: 'We need such a change that will see men with bright ideas taking over the administration of the game because our problems are too many for the people there now to know what to do.'I was in Germany when their national team started fumbling. And I know steps Jurgen klinsman took as the national team coach to revive the game by integrating more young talents in Germany into the game. And the Germans have been reaping the benefit ever-since.'We seem to underestimate the importance of youth and planning developmental programmes from the grassroots. We celebrate things we really shouldn't celebrate, such as all the numerous age-grade tournaments we have won through the ages, even though it is glaring that they were achieved through dubious means.'There is so much scrambling for the pegs of office by those who should organize the game that the game is left unattended to. It is a shame.'To Samuel Ofulue, who said the NFF should be held liable for Nigeria's inability to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games, 'we need people who genuinely want to develop the game to take control of Nigerian football administration.'We were all watching while the NFF allowed Augustine Eguavoen to mess up with the Olympic team, yet we expected a miracle in Morocco.'Eguavoen had so much time to build a team from the home-based players, but he frittered it away and nobody said anything. We waited until it was too late before we started talking of building a squad of mainly Nigeria-based stars. At the end, we had more players without clubs in that team than in any other Nigerian side I can think of.'I thought missing the Nations Cup would have thought the NFF some lessons but Morocco has shown that they did not learn anything. It is a shame that the so-called giant of Africa will not be at the Olympics in London.
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