NFF: NSC must jettison regionalism to salvage Nigeria football – Onyeabor

Onyeabor, who spoke to journalists in Enugu, weekend, stated that for Nigeria to return to winning ways with its various football teams, emphasis must be placed on quality administration.

DAILY POST recalls that the disastrous outings of Nigeria’s football teams led to the resignation of NFF board members.

Speaking to the media, Onyeabor, a former chairman of the Rangers International Enugu Committee on the Setting Up of Feeder Teams, said that for the country to make progress, the selection of new NFF leaders should not be based on ethnicity but on merit, competence and track record.

“The truth of the matter is that sports generally, particularly football, is a very big business all over the world.

“Then, talking about administration, if you take a look at our NFF, this current dispensation, before the dissolution, before their resignation, the Nigerian Football Federation has actually gotten it so bad in recent times.

“And that will not be divorced from a lack of managerial acumen because every sports organisation needs talent, needs those who know what it takes to manage that particular sport, particularly football.

“The Gusau-led administration, in fact, if we take a closer look at what he has done since he came into office, it has been from one bad result to another,” Onyeabor stated.

He addt that football administrators should not be chosen based on big names, noting that the sacked team lacked what was needed to run football effectively.

“And when you talk about their capacity to manage Nigerian football, based on my own assessment, the Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau-led NFF didn’t have that capacity.

“They may have the name, but capacity is result-oriented. You cannot have a bigger name and not have results. Football is all about results,” he noted.

Onyeabor urged the National Sports Commission (NSC) to widen its search, saying there were many capable hands, even in the South-East.

“My point is that the search should not be regionalised. Take, for instance, if you come to the South-East, the manager of Rangers International, Amobi Ezeaku, stands out.

“You must assess people based on their records. Football management is all about records.

“What have you been able to achieve? The little positions given to you.

“Then, I don’t really know why they have not started looking at the South-East, particularly somebody like Amobi Ezeaku, who has actually revitalised Rangers International Football Club.

“Rangers, yes, is an old team and what have you, but since Amobi Ezeaku took over the management, Rangers International has become a brand.

“Most players within the local league want to play for Rangers because the management is top-notch. The CEO interacts with the players. He has a very good team.

“So, invariably, the Nigerian Football Federation should start channelling its energy into identifying most of these talents.

“As they are identifying talents that play football, they should equally identify talents that have the managerial equipment to manage our football to our destination.

“It is long overdue to jettison this issue of regionalisation when it comes to sports administration and football generally,” he advised.