04022017

In Libreville, Gabon, where
I am writing this piece
from, we are just a day
from knowing who will be the
champion of the 31st edition of
the Africa Cup of Nations.
It has been an educative three
weeks in this central African
country, which has more
foreigners
than it does
citizens, who
have been
less than
interested in
t h e
tournament.
And not just
for the
reason that
the national team, ‘Les
Panthers’ (The Panthers), did
not reach its knockout stages.
As I do not need to remind
any Nigerian, the Super Eagles
are the most notable absentees
from this tournament, as they
were from the one before it, in
Equatorial Guinea.
It is a fact that colleagues
from every part of the continent
have never failed to remind me
of, since I got here. Their
painful jibes, about
Nigeria’sfour-year absence
(which will, hopefully, end in
2019) from the Africa Cup of
Nations, do not fail to grate.
But the ones that were the
hardest to swallow were from a
person very familiar to
Nigerians – Cameroon’s
Joseph-Antoine Bell, the
former Marseille and Saint
Etienne goalkeeper, who won
the Cup of Nations with the
Indomitable Lions in 1984, in
Cote D’Ivoire and four years
later in Morocco – both at
Nigeria’s expense.
Bell is working as a
tournament match analyst for
A Nations Cup encounter
with ‘Jojo' Bell
Radio France International
(RFI).
“Jojo,” as he is fondly known,
was with me in in Franceville,
where we both watched the very
terse quarter-finalbetween his
country and Senegal's Lions of
Teranga, which took a penalty
shootout to resolve, in his
country’s favour.
After the match ended, we sat
together in the shuttle bus that
took us back to Franceville
Bell
airport, in order to catch my 1am
flight back to Libreville.
"Jojo” began to boast that
Cameroon, with just two points
in the final round of 2018 World
Cup qualifiers, while Nigeria's
Super Eagles have SIX - will
still snatch the ticket.
He began to remind me of
how many times Nigeria has
been bested by Cameroon. The
great Roger Milla, who was also
in the bus, smiled as Bell talked.
This bus was full of
Cameroonians,
including former Real
Madrid player
GeremiNjitap,
excitedly listening to
all Bell said, in English
and French. (He speaks
both languages
excellently).
Senegal's El
HadjiDiouf, who was
still feeling the pain of
the defeat to Cameroon,
was in the bus too, poor
chap. The embrace that
Milla gave him was
little consolation.
SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 4, 2017 — 45
Besides myself, Colin Udoh–
who needs no introduction - was
the only other Nigerian in the
bus. But Colin decided to keep
quiet, while Nigeria's football
honour was under attack and
being rubbished by Jojo.
But I could not be quiet and I
had to answer back. The
disrespect to Nigeria was too
much to swallow.
"Yes, you have beaten us in
three AFCON final games," I
told Jojo.
"But you know, very well, that
only your victory in 1984 was
clean.
“The second, at Morocco
1988, we were cheated. Roger
[Milla] tricked the referee
(Idrissa Saar of Mauritania) into
giving him a fake penalty. And
the clean goal of Henry Nwosu
was disallowed as being
offside," I told him.
"As for the 2000 Nations Cup,
the Tunisian referee
(MouradDaami) denied us a
penalty goal that Victor Ikpeba
scored. We have been cheated
many times in the AFCON
final,” I reminded Bell.
"We are in the World Cup
qualifying driving seat now and
you will never take over. We beat
Zambia away and Zambia
disgraced you at home. And we
will do the same to you," I said
to him.
But Jojo did not let up, telling
me that Nigerian players
always tremble when they face
the Indomitable Lions and they
will never get over this mental
block.
“Any time Nigeria face
Cameroon, they are scared.
They have an inferiority
complex that they cannot
overcome and we are going to
use that to beat your team, at
home,” Jojo said.
That was a stinging insult to
Nigeria, which I was certainly
not going to let go. "August will
soon be here and you shall see,"
I told him.
Let anyone tell me that
football is just an ordinary game
or that national pride and
honour is not at stake, when
games are played.
The Nigeria Football
Federation - and Amaju Pinnick
particularly - better not tell me
- or any Nigerian for that matter,
any cock and bull story about
Russia 2018. We MUST be
there.
After failing to qualify for two
successive AFCON finals – our
worst period since making our
debut, at the 1976 finals in
Ethiopia - and with none of
Nigeria's teams, including the
U-20 and U-17 teams - playing
in any African or FIFA
competition this year, Nigeria
and Nigerians have suffered
enough football humiliation.
I believe that with the players
Nigeria now have and with the
serious-minded coach that we
also have, in Gernot Rohr, we
shall beat Algeria and
Cameroon to the ticket - AS
LONG AS THE NFF DO THEIR
PART and ensure the coach and
players are given what is
required to deliver.
What happens if we don’t
qualify? Let’s not even think
about that... Failure is not an
option for Nigeria.There will be
no place in Nigeria that will be
big enough to hide Pinnick and
the current NFF board, should
we fail to get to Russia.
A six-year absence from
competitive international
football, for the Super Eagles –
which will happen, if we do not
make it to the 2018 World Cup
finals - is a possibility that
cannot be contemplated.
Arsenal partner MTN Nigeria
Arsenal partner MTN Nigeria
Arsenal Football Club have
entered into a partnership
with MTN, Nigeria’s largest
mobile network operator. MTN will
become Arsenal’s Official Mobile
Telecommunications Network
partner in Nigeria.
The partnership will see MTN offer
a number of exclusive Arsenal
related benefits to the club’s large
following in Nigeria as well as to
MTN’s vast subscriber base. MTN
will offer its customers access to a
range of match and player exclusive
content including match highlights,
club news, interviews and club
imagery.
Through Arsenal’s digital platforms,
MTN will also be able to
engage directly with supporters in
Nigeria. Promotional and marketing
activities featuring Arsenal first-team
players and club legends will further
enhance MTN’s engagement with
Arsenal supporters. Arsenal will also
send specialist coaches to undertake
annual coaching clinics as part of
MTN’s marketing activities in
Nigeria.
Arsenal has fantastic support in
Nigeria, with the club’s largest
website traffic outside the UK coming
from the country. In addition to
this, the club’s second highest
number of digital members and third
largest Twitter following comes from
Nigeria.
Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer,
Vinai Venkatesham, said: “Arsenal
has huge support in Nigeria, in part
due to Kanu Nwankwo and the
recent emergence of Alex Iwobi into
the first team. This partnership with
MTN will really help us engage with
these passionate fans on a regular
and personal basis. We are expecting
MTN’s Arsenal exclusive content to
be very popular among our support-
ers, as well as followers of football
generally. This is our second regional
partnership in Nigeria and fifth in
Africa. It really underlines our
commitment and the level of support
we have on the continent.”
Also speaking on the partnership,
MTN’s General Manager, Consumer
Marketing, Richard Iweanoge said
that the partnership is another way
MTN is connecting
with the
passion of
Nigerians.
Sanchez
kloss
Adidas tasks athletes on creativity
Adidas has unveiled a glo
bal campaign underlining the
brand’s aggressive pursuit for creativity
to push the boundaries of
sport.
The new campaign, titled “Unleash
Your Creativity,” is told
through a female athlete’s lens and
stars supermodel Karlie Kloss,
Hannah Bronfman, Robin Arzon,
WNBA All-Star Candace Parker
and soccer star, Becky Sauerbruns.
“Like this campaign, creativity enables
me to accomplish more and
follow my passions. It is inspiring
to work alongside this incredible
group of women and help each other
achieve our personal goals,” said
Karlie Kloss.
“Unleash Your Creativity” builds
upon the brand’s belief that hard
work only gets you so far. The campaign
includes a multi-athlete TV
spot and short film series that
brings to life authentic stories of 15
female athletes around the globe
who use creativity to defy conventions,
reinvent routine, create their
own path and inspire others to make
a difference in sport.
Karlie Kloss’ film highlights how
she uses her imagination to make
a difference in the world while
Candace Parkershows how she
uses creativity to shape her style
of play and elevate her game.
Dancer and fitness influencer Ally
Love inspires women to unleash
their own creativity daily from her
motivational spin classes to charging
up an arena as host of the
Brooklyn Nets. Ruqsana Begum is
a British and European Kick-Boxing
champion who blazed a trail for
Muslim women to access sport.
Running coach Jessie Zapo found
a way to open her sport to a new
generation of runners. USWNT
Captain Becky Sauerbrunn uses
her creativity in soccer to challenge
her opponents on the field and win
championships.