Like success, which is said to be everyone’s child, any soccer success in a world-class tournament is a moment of wild celebration in Nigeria. And this was the mood Nigerians were thrown into by the achievement of our national team in the just concluded Under 17 FIFA World Cup tournament. Amidst the many problems bedevilling the nation, our performance up to the runner up prize has enlivened this gloomy land provided, some consolation and the usual national solidarity engendered by soccer.
However, beyond the celebrations it cannot be said with every sense of conviction that our success was a well-deserved one. The reason: there was overwhelming evidence that our national team, the Golden Eaglets, fielded players who were well older than the stipulated 17 years. The revelation of this embarrassing scandal came in a trail of insalubrious episodes that threatened to mar the tournament. First, it was contractor problems, and later it became one of lack of funds, and non-accreditation of registered journalists, among others. When it was thought that a release of N3 billion by the federal government would put an end to all these problems,
Colombian coach Ramiro Viafara raised the alarm on over aged players in the tournament. Thereafter, a surge of claims attesting to the presence of over aged players in the team flew from every angle. But it was former Eagles international and lawyer, Mr. Adokiye Amiesimaka, whose vociferous criticism lent credence to the speculations, after the Golden Eaglets whitewashed New Zealand 5-0. In his weekly column in a national newspaper, two weeks ago, Amiesimaka had alleged that the U-17 team captain Fortune Chukwudi was well over 17, stating that the fellow played for him seven years ago in his feeder team as an 18 year old.
In another instance, while affirming “there was no second MRI test on the players”, he indicted top officials of the National Football Federation for wilfully barring the Eaglets from taking part in a second MRI test. The truth of the matter is that when the world football body, FIFA, conceived of this U17 World Cup tournament, it had a youth development programme that would ensure succession management of the game. Ordinarily, this is a tournament that should feature secondary school students and not league players. By fielding over age players our nation team has defeated that purpose, and by laying claim to victory the team is living a lie. Some have preferred to ignore these niceties about morality and values in soccer.
Many Nigerians have posited that football is an amoral issue; others have argued that the act of cheating in tournaments is a global phenomenon, and so in the name of patriotism our case should be overlooked. But then this is a spurious argument lacking every sense of sound judgement. How can we tell good from bad, if we appeal to such self-serving arguments?
The gravity of this simple soccer scenario resonates beyond the issue of sport. If our criticism of graft, maladministration, political ineptitude is to have moral weight, if we claim to have a moral right to condemn public officers who loot state coffers and pillage our economy, we must condemn cheating and lying footballers who fake their age and bribe coaches to get placement on a team. For any reason whatever, this act is a national embarrassment and a shameful one.
It is a dishonourable and ignoble act. Our U17 national team may be called the Golden Eaglets, they may have been awarded the trophy as second place winners, but by this despicable act of officially sanctioned mendacity, and impenitent resolve to argue ad absurdum, our soccer house has demonstrated that it is nowhere near gold. This is not a team to be proud of.
The stain on one finger has spread to all.
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