Tag: super eagles

The role of the supporters club is immeasurable as the support which they give to the Super Eagles of Nigeria and other national teams during outings has become a source of inspiration suggesting that the supporters club have become the third team during a match. In 1994 when Nigeria made her debut at the FIFA World Cup in the United State of America, an organized Supporters Club who also made their World Cup debut were appreciated by FIFA. Their performances was so impressive that the they became the toast of the world governing football body and they were declared the most behaved  and entertaining supporters club in that edition.   However, recent happenings since the emergence of several other organized supporters club suggest that our dear Super Eagles and other national teams are now at the risk of being attacked by the supposed organized supporters club if they fail to win key matches. In the ongoing 33^RD Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Cameroon, a video which went viral showed the brutal and uncivil conduct of members of one of the supporters club in Nigeria in which they were hurling threats and attempting to get close to the Super Eagles bus and attack them after they lost to Tunisia in the round of 16. Their efforts to reach the Eagles were hindered by barbed wire. The inability of the Super Eagles to progress hit hard at every football loving fan in Nigeria, particularly as they gave an impressive performance in their group matches. But should some members of an organized duly registered supporters club at the Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria be at the fore front of attempting to attack the team bus? Supporters Club are not meant to attack the players they support and that should be the practice. Once a body of this kind is registered at the Corporate Affairs to promote a course of this nature, they should be an embodiment of discipline and exhibit high level of true sportsmanship even in defeat, rather than turning around to attack the young players who adorn the nations colour to promote the image of the country. Sometime in Asaba, when the Super Eagles was playing one of their AFCON qualifiers, it took the intervention of security operatives to come take the leader of one of the organized supporters club out of the stadium before peace was restored. Information reaching our sources on grounds of anonymity suggests that some of these individuals who parade themselves as members of these Supporters clubs are not members of th said club, they are gathered to make up numbers and give the public an impression that they have large followership. While this may be argued as untrue, but all these videos going viral authenticate these claims. As if that is not enough, the disunity of different musical sounds coming from different supporters clubs and from different angles inside the stadium when the Super Eagles are playing is enough to show that we are gradually working against the “One Nigeria Project” which we have been preaching, or could the call for one Nigeria be a mere lip-service, aimed at telling the international community that we are united while what we display when our dear Super Eagles is playing suggests otherwise. Sadly, the Nigeria Football Federation and the Sports Ministry under the able leadership of Amaju Pinnick and Chief Sunday Dare are yet to react to these ugly incidents, the inidents are bringing shame to Nigeria and the earlier they begin to see it as topmost on their agenda, the better for Nigeria While I respect the rights of individuals to come as an organized body based on the provision of the constitution which gives right to Freedom of Association, such right could be reviewed when there are clear evidences suggesting such on grounds of expediency. The Ghana versus Nigeria World Cup qualifier is coming up by March and it will be a two-leg match which will see the second-leg to be played in Nigeria, there is a need for those in authority to ensure that all those involved in the video going viral are adequately dealt with otherwise we may face a worse situation if the Super Eagles fails to pick one of the five berths available for Africa on home soil.