Not an Eagles’ bait any longer

By IKENWA NNABUOGOR

In the 80s, up to the 90s, quality was the word and competitive was the Super Eagles, players must be 110 percent good to be considered into the fold.

Football in those days, especially in the 80s, was highly competitive and full of quality, only the extremely talented go into the national teams, talk more of the local league where premium in quality was equally ultra high.

The football pyramid was as a high as the historical pyramid in Egypt where the tiers of football reached a mouthwatering nine or even 10, if you considered the state leagues.

Breaking into the first in the pyramid took something extra ordinary for the up and coming players otherwise the ropes were there for the players to learn and walk before they hit the corridors of Enugu Rangers, Stationary Stores FC, 3SC (formerly IICC), Ranchers Bees (formerly DIC Bees), Lagos ACB and Insurance.

The trajectory was studied, no child’s play, patterned, sustained and it must take a serious-minded, discipled player to hit the top, if all the player was serious in taking up professional football career.

Football people manned football, round pegging the round holes and handling the beautiful game in the best professional ways, placing high premiums on discipline and redirecting the rascally into other suiting vocations.

80s football was 80 percent for football people at all levels both on the pitch and in the boardrooms and the result was a clear record, unbeaten till date as charlatans and square pegs in round holes hold supreme and turn Nigeria football into house completely divided and lack direction.

The less illustrious leagues in the football pyramids were also highly competitive, only the best talents were considered for sustained progressions, very few special talents broke into the elite leagues, others evaporated into other endeavours.

It wasn’t by accident that lesser league players, like Collins Etebu, whom I only knew about because I was close to the captain of the defunct ASESA Warriors in the old Anambra State, Anthony Metta, who squared up against this special player in the fourth tier league, who would later came to limelight, walking the ropes and hitting it big time with Sharks.

Etebu, supremely skilful and brutal in front of goal, would take his game to Germany unknown and unsong because the national team handlers were just hand-tied to huge pool of talents.

Etebu continued his scoring ways in Germany but sadly, didn’t get to fly with the Eagles, same flight he deservedly should be on board before finally called time on his illustrious career.

Three were also lots of Etebus that came from the ranks that didn’t make to the Super Eagles to speak volumes of the to level of quality that was wrapped around football in Nigeria those days.

There was no doubt what the objectives that were to be achieved then as the results achieved with the football pyramid mirrored the sound administration that managed our football.

Eagles, formerly Green, and later Super, were no summer holiday spots, fighting for shirts was like a bull fight in Spain, the ropes were so high, getting to the mountains and reaching the heights was ultimately deserved.

Professional players in the diaspora were not this proliferating like now, very few blood gushed Nigerian, home based was the name of the game and it must be earned.

Things are simply not the same lately as things continue to get worse with everything that has to be with football in Nigeria. Sad!

Should we be beckoning on the 80s for a rescue mission?

It may not happen again, sadly.