ALTHOUGH it was not totally unexpected, the failure of the country's Under-23 national soccer team to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics has dealt a devastating blow to any hope of salvaging something from a disappointing year in football. It is no longer news that Nigeria returned home empty handed from the Olympic qualifying tournament in Morocco.The development, to put it mildly, has made this year arguably one of the worst years in international football in Nigeria's rich history.Ironically, it was a similarly named 'Dream Team,' which in its inaugural form at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA, had given the country what many still regard as her most glorious moment in international football by becoming the first African country to win Olympic gold in a team event. Fifteen years later, 'Dream Team V' brought Nigerians pain and anguish, by capping a miserable year with a failure to qualify for next year's London Olympics football event.The Nwankwo Kanu-captained 1996 Under-23 Olympic side fondly called the 'Dream Team' even before the team made for Atlanta to shock the world, merited their nickname, by going all the way to win, at the expense of the game's world super power countries such as Brazil in the semi-final, and Argentina in that memorable final.Since then, however, it had been one tale of woe after another in subsequent Olympic Games, as 'Dream Team II' (in Sydney 2000), 'Dream Team III' (in Athens 2004), and 'Dream Team IV' (in Beijing 2008), could not add a medal, of whatever colour, to our Atlanta '96 football gold.This year regrettably, the so-called 'Dream Team V' could not even qualify from the African qualifying tournament recently held in Morocco. After losing its first two Group stage matches to hosts Morocco and Senegal, their 4-1 win over equally-hapless Algeria, amounted to a case of 'too little too late.' Sadly, Nigeria will be missing at next year's Summer Games in London, in the same way our senior national team will be missing when Africa's 16 best football playing countries file out at next year's Orange African Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.Last year, President Goodluck Jonathan was so furious about the consistent slide in the fortunes of our national football teams that he 'ordered' that all our national teams, male or female, age-group or senior, even clubs, be banned from participating in international competitions for two years, if only to address the slide and embarrassing results the country posted in international competitions.Many concerned Nigerians, protested the idea, however, fearing an imminent hammer from FIFA, the world governing body ruling the sport. The President caved in to public opinion and rescinded his presidential order, as many Nigerians heaved a huge sigh of relief. Nearly two years after, who is having the last laugh' The President, or his accusers'What is incontestable is the fact that our fortunes have dipped further. Events since the 'presidential pardon' shows clearly that it could not get any worse for Nigeria's football, and on all fronts, too. Everywhere you turned, there was failure. Besides the senior team's failure, the Super Falcons also failed to secure the London 2012 Summer Games ticket.The big question is: Where do we go from here' The most important task before our football authorities is how to improve the quality of football in the local league, and the schools.The world's most accomplished football hero ever, Brazil's Pele, once famously said, 'A country's national football team is as good as its local league.' Pele has seen it all, and no one is better equipped to offer such an opinion. Nigeria cannot be an exception to that rule.We must change our development orientation to the sport. There should be a stop to seeking short-cut to success, a cheating method of fielding over-aged players, primarily aimed at winning at all cost.For years, the country's football administrators have engaged in self-deceit, and an exaggerated opinion of our current standard of football. In the past, we have won age-group tournaments by fielding 'men' instead of youngsters. On the short run, such victories bring joy to many unsuspecting football faithful in Nigeria. But in the long run, such joy does not last, because when our so-called 'stars' of age-group competitions are called upon to 'deliver' at the senior level, they are suddenly too old.If righteousness exalts a nation, doing the right thing is the only way to a lasting and consistent success. Age group competitions should be taken for what they are: a means to an end, rather than an end itself.
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