As I set out to write this little piece many titles stormed my mind. Because, it has to do with genuinely concerned thoughts about the Super Eagles and their coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, I chose a direct caption. The subtitle is not as misty as if to say that we are unaware that Keshi is a responsible husband and father of a proud Nigerian family.
But he got another extended family: the Super Eagles. To these guys he must learn, not just how to teach the tricks of football and the joy of winning, but how to redirect the stray and bandage the wounded. The charismatic José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix (of Chelsea) is eulogized, even by opponents, for bearing the weaknesses of his players and protecting them before the prying eyes of the public.
Looking back a bit, it’s hurting that the unfortunate absence of the Super Eagles from the AFCON 1996 in South Africa was heavily retrogressive in all sectors of Nigerian Football. Yes, few went to the Olympics in Atlanta and got us the soccer gold, but the NFA collapsed. The rising profile of our players ran down while many were frustrated into early retirement.
Had the Nigerian league been up to standards, I don’t see while Daniel Amokachie, Sunday Oliseh, Okocha etc should release the throttle when they did. It tickles my fancy to watch Zé Roberto, Nelson de Jesus Silva (Dida), Gilberto Silva, Clarence Clyde Seedorf and the multi talented Ronaldinho (Gaúcho) among so many others still very active in highly technical Campeonato Brasileiro. These guys are still competing and boosting the image and popularity of the entire countryHowever, it was a Brasilian born Italian journalist who drew my attention to the soccer prodigy personified in the one and only Mario Barwuah Balotelli when, in questioning the glaring absence of Joseph Yobo at the Fifa Confederations Cup held here in Brasil, I told him that the Eagles Captain has some ‘grouse’ to settle with his coach. Whatever is the content of the grouse, I couldn’t offer him.
He gasped in utter consternation. What unsettled grouse could keep an in-form captain from his army, away from an International duty? He simply told me that the Italian coaches and the entire Federation know what they want from Balotelli: “a bola na rede” – put the ball inside the net. Kabisa! And he has not let them down. Any other Balotelli ‘insanity’ outside the 18-yard box is in powder content, and thus, can be dissolved. Ok?
Mesut Özil, no matter the reason behind his sale by the President of Real Madrid, remains, in a recent opinion sampling in Spain, the only Madrid player Barcelona fans would love to have in their ‘pukuse’ dancing Catalan Club. Yet, this is the man accused of incurable night-crawling. But the German Football Federation would have none of those gabs, neither the professor at the Emirates, Arsene Wenger.
It is on record that Mesut made more passes than any player in Europe in the last season. His left foot has a magnetic apparatus to which balls surrender with total obeisance. His passes have dept and reach targeted death-ends. What about soccer vision? His eyeballs define it. That’s where nature lavishes gifts to a seeming little body frame which distinguishes the mid-field maestr

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I didn't read the content of the write up though but from the caption, I have only one comment to make. Its not good to go inside ppl private lives. As young people, we have so such to do with our lives.

I am yet to see with several example how Keshi got it wrong.