BY AKEEM BUSARI
Nigeria football has never had it as bad as these recent times. That Nigerian football has been living dangerously on the precipice, is an understatement. It has been washed down into the bottomless pit.
In a country where mediocrity thrives, the learned and wise would be led by the dumb, but street smart leaders, who are quick to take advantage of the unwillingness of the wise ones to take their destiny in their hands.
The nemesis of the lackadaisical attitudes of the stakeholders of Nigerian football is the porous state of Nigeria football. But the nemesis has a human face. Salisu Yusuf.
Salisu Yusuf, is a recurring decimal in Nigeria football. The 61 year old football coach, is without a doubt, the most fortunate football coach in Nigeria.
His unimpressive performances from his various appointments as U20, U23 and CHAN Eagles coach, as well as, the Super Eagles, is legendary, to say, the least.
Quickly on the heels of his failure to qualify the CHAN Eagles for the 2023 African Nations Championship by losing the ticket to Ghana, he has again failed to qualify the U23 team for U23 AFCON, losing woefully to Guinea, and of course, missing the opportunity to take our team to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. It is now in the Nigerian football history books that he led the famous Kano Pillars FC of Kano to relegation, the first time in over 20 years. Enugu Rangers, only survived his badluck spell by the whiskers.
Salisu Yusuf, according to sources, seemingly have a strangle-like hold on Nigeria football and perhaps, the NFF. He can do no wrong. Despite holding the unenviable records as a colossal failure, yet, he is untouchable.
Even when he was caught and found guilty of collecting a $1,000 bribe, the NFF were quick to deal with it as an internal matter to avoid the wrath of FIFA. He only got suspended for one year. That, of course, was a slap on the wrist. Unlike Samson Siasia, the man who qualified and won Nigeria a bronze medal, at the country’s last appearance at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, who is facing a lengthy ban from FIFA, over a bribery case.
The nonchalance of the NFF on the Siasia’s bribery case, is another pointer to the immortal status of Salisu Yusuf, and yes, that all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
I want to believe the present board of the NFF led by Ibrahim Musa Gusau, is different from the past clueless leadership of the NFF.
Therefore, the NFF should look into a litany of allegations of corrupt practices against Salisu Yusuf. Let the NFF prove to be courageous and begin by asking questions, how a player in the 9th tier league of English football got invited to the U23 team.
Who can save Nigeria football from the vice-like and strangulating grips of the UNTOUCHABLE Salisu Yusuf?
