Lessons from South America (1)
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Surely, it was a punishing schedule. Those outside the Nigeria Football Federation will always tell you how ‘rosy’ it is to work there. Indeed! Let me paint a simple picture here.
On the morning of Friday, August 5, a delegation of the NFF left Abuja for Colombia through Republic of South Africa. The delegation did not arrive Colombia until Sunday afternoon.The schedule is a one-hour flight from Abuja to Lagos, a six-hour flight from Lagos to Johannesburg, an 11-hour flight between Johannesburg and Sao Paulo in Brazil (10 of those hours on the South Atlantic Ocean), a six-hour flight from Sao Paulo to Bogota (capital of Colombia) and a one-hour flight from Bogota to Armenia (on propeller jets powered by pilots who appear to be far more familiar with the topsy-turvy nature of the climate than their passengers).
For me, I had to fly through Germany, Spain and the United States of America to get to Colombia the first time, flew out to France and then to the United Kingdom for the match against Ghana and then flew back through Germany. Some exercise!
The chief media officer of the NFF, Ademola Olajire, who was with the group, informed me privately that he thought the longest trip he would ever make was the 49-hour round trip from Nigeria to New Zealand. This one was a full 50-hour round trip! I can bet that for all the money in the world, some people would not want to make this kind of trip. I digress.
The purpose of this column, as I noted earlier, was to truly commend the people of Colombia for their unflinching support for the Flying Eagles throughout their stay in that country. The tales we heard about Colombia before leaving Nigeria (tales that had existed for years, anyway) and the films we watched about that country, flew in the face of reality.
There were no down-to-the–pant searches at the airports, and surely drug peddling and consumption was not conspicuous on the streets of Colombia.
A captivating South American nation ringed by mountains and hills, Colombia is the northern-most of South American nations. Venezuela is to the north-east but has far lower football stature than Colombia.
On July 31, when the Flying Eagles played Guatemala at the Estadio Centenario in Armenia in their opening match of group D, less than 15 per cent of the crowd was not wholly for Nigeria. The majority rooted for the Flying Eagles, as if it was their own team. The remaining 15 per cent consisted of Giatemalan citizens who made the three-hour flight to Colombia just for the purpose.
Against Croatia, it was even better. Croatia was a long way off (Europe) and their own supporters were stranded at home, just like members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, who had genuine intention to be in Colombia but could not raise the money needed for the trip.
The 21,000 spectators at the stadium hollered and cheered the Flying Eagles to the 5-2 win. Against Saudi Arabia in Pereira, you would think the Nigeria Football Federation had bought over the supporters, in the absence of Dr. Rafiu Oladipo and his group!
Eventually, everyone was happy, that we won 2-0 against a senior oil-producing nation that trained for 25 days in Brazil and spent another 10 days in Colombia before the tournament.
In Armenia, the people continued showing so much regard and affection as our contingent remained at the Hotel Campestre Las Camelias – a magnificent facility set in the forest with plantation serving as the fence!
Our team enjoyed maximum security protection, with military and police attaches. If you stepped outside your room in the night, you would see military persons painstakingly keeping watch in the plantation.
The people are also very warm and kind. It was not make-believe because such is never regular. They genuinely love other people. In Armenia, not only did everyone (football supporters, military and police attaches adn hotel workers) show us tremendous affection, they also, I was made to understand by officials of the team, brought a lot of gifts, especially the unique hat – one of which Head Coach John Obuh wore against England and really set off a big issue on social network sites.
There was also the famous Colombian tea packets, supplied by the dimunitive, hardworking and ubiquitous Diego Bolivar – the dynamic physical education teacher and coach who served as our Team Liaison Officer for the tournament. He was such a marvelous man.
The military officer attached to our team, Captain Clarena Restrepo, also deserves mention. She carried out her job with the utmost sense of responsibility and good friendliness. A 32-year old officer, she is married to Juan Restrepo – now a Major – and is a pilot. She plans to retire in three years’ time when she would be a Lieutenant Colonel, and intends to start flying commercial aircraft (more lucrative, she said).
There was also Pablo Pachon, junior brother of FIFA Match Agent Jairo Pachon, who was also available to solve any puzzle and assist our team however.
Then on Sunday, August 14, we all witnessed what we had NEVER seen before anywhere.
I was with two members of the NFF Executive Committee (Barrister Chris Green and Alhaji Ahmed Yusuf), and some staff members. The chief media officer, Ademola Olajire told us the previous day that everyone at the stadium would support the Flying Eagles. As we approached the stadium, the fans lined the routes and hailed the bus conveying the Nigeria team and the van conveying the officials. We had not idea of the exact outpouring of emotion until we entered the Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero.
The game started on a very cautious note, but you could tell, easily, that the fans were all for Nigeria.
I still feel this was one match our team should have won in the first half. Had the players shown enough hunger and spriteness in the opening period, whene France appeared cagey and diffident, it would have been over after 45 minutes. But caution was reciprocated with caution and nothing worked.
All through, the support never waned. The fans chanted ‘Nigeria, Nigeria’ (which they pronounced Niheria) all the time. They booed any call by the centre referee which went the way of France but which they felt should have gone to Nigeria. They enacted Mexican waves endlessly, using the opportunity to chant ‘Niheria, Niheria’. It was a moving spectacle all the way.
When France scored their first goal, you could hardly hear a cheer. But when Nigeria equalized with the last touch of the first half, the eruption of joy threatened the stadium foundation.
The most heartwarming, of course, was at the final whistle. The whole stadium stood and hollered ‘niheria, niheria’ even after their favourite team had disappointed. As we came out of the stadium, they were still here, lined up on the rails, showing so much love and suppot. It was unbelievable. The people of Coombia sure know how to support their beloved teams.
Next Week: Lessons from South America (2)
Articles
Lessons from South America (1)
Category: Sports Written by - Hits: 779
Surely, it was a punishing schedule. Those outside the Nigeria Football Federation will always tell you how ‘rosy’ it is to work there. Indeed! Let me paint a simple picture here.
On the morning of Friday, August 5, a delegation of the NFF left Abuja for Colombia through Republic of South Africa. The delegation did not arrive Colombia until Sunday afternoon.The schedule is a one-hour flight from Abuja to Lagos, a six-hour flight from Lagos to Johannesburg, an 11-hour flight between Johannesburg and Sao Paulo in Brazil (10 of those hours on the South Atlantic Ocean), a six-hour flight from Sao Paulo to Bogota (capital of Colombia) and a one-hour flight from Bogota to Armenia (on propeller jets powered by pilots who appear to be far more familiar with the topsy-turvy nature of the climate than their passengers).
For me, I had to fly through Germany, Spain and the United States of America to get to Colombia the first time, flew out to France and then to the United Kingdom for the match against Ghana and then flew back through Germany. Some exercise!
The chief media officer of the NFF, Ademola Olajire, who was with the group, informed me privately that he thought the longest trip he would ever make was the 49-hour round trip from Nigeria to New Zealand. This one was a full 50-hour round trip! I can bet that for all the money in the world, some people would not want to make this kind of trip. I digress.
The purpose of this column, as I noted earlier, was to truly commend the people of Colombia for their unflinching support for the Flying Eagles throughout their stay in that country. The tales we heard about Colombia before leaving Nigeria (tales that had existed for years, anyway) and the films we watched about that country, flew in the face of reality.
There were no down-to-the–pant searches at the airports, and surely drug peddling and consumption was not conspicuous on the streets of Colombia.
A captivating South American nation ringed by mountains and hills, Colombia is the northern-most of South American nations. Venezuela is to the north-east but has far lower football stature than Colombia.
On July 31, when the Flying Eagles played Guatemala at the Estadio Centenario in Armenia in their opening match of group D, less than 15 per cent of the crowd was not wholly for Nigeria. The majority rooted for the Flying Eagles, as if it was their own team. The remaining 15 per cent consisted of Giatemalan citizens who made the three-hour flight to Colombia just for the purpose.
Against Croatia, it was even better. Croatia was a long way off (Europe) and their own supporters were stranded at home, just like members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, who had genuine intention to be in Colombia but could not raise the money needed for the trip.
The 21,000 spectators at the stadium hollered and cheered the Flying Eagles to the 5-2 win. Against Saudi Arabia in Pereira, you would think the Nigeria Football Federation had bought over the supporters, in the absence of Dr. Rafiu Oladipo and his group!
Eventually, everyone was happy, that we won 2-0 against a senior oil-producing nation that trained for 25 days in Brazil and spent another 10 days in Colombia before the tournament.
In Armenia, the people continued showing so much regard and affection as our contingent remained at the Hotel Campestre Las Camelias – a magnificent facility set in the forest with plantation serving as the fence!
Our team enjoyed maximum security protection, with military and police attaches. If you stepped outside your room in the night, you would see military persons painstakingly keeping watch in the plantation.
The people are also very warm and kind. It was not make-believe because such is never regular. They genuinely love other people. In Armenia, not only did everyone (football supporters, military and police attaches adn hotel workers) show us tremendous affection, they also, I was made to understand by officials of the team, brought a lot of gifts, especially the unique hat – one of which Head Coach John Obuh wore against England and really set off a big issue on social network sites.
There was also the famous Colombian tea packets, supplied by the dimunitive, hardworking and ubiquitous Diego Bolivar – the dynamic physical education teacher and coach who served as our Team Liaison Officer for the tournament. He was such a marvelous man.
The military officer attached to our team, Captain Clarena Restrepo, also deserves mention. She carried out her job with the utmost sense of responsibility and good friendliness. A 32-year old officer, she is married to Juan Restrepo – now a Major – and is a pilot. She plans to retire in three years’ time when she would be a Lieutenant Colonel, and intends to start flying commercial aircraft (more lucrative, she said).
There was also Pablo Pachon, junior brother of FIFA Match Agent Jairo Pachon, who was also available to solve any puzzle and assist our team however.
Then on Sunday, August 14, we all witnessed what we had NEVER seen before anywhere.
I was with two members of the NFF Executive Committee (Barrister Chris Green and Alhaji Ahmed Yusuf), and some staff members. The chief media officer, Ademola Olajire told us the previous day that everyone at the stadium would support the Flying Eagles. As we approached the stadium, the fans lined the routes and hailed the bus conveying the Nigeria team and the van conveying the officials. We had not idea of the exact outpouring of emotion until we entered the Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero.
The game started on a very cautious note, but you could tell, easily, that the fans were all for Nigeria.
I still feel this was one match our team should have won in the first half. Had the players shown enough hunger and spriteness in the opening period, whene France appeared cagey and diffident, it would have been over after 45 minutes. But caution was reciprocated with caution and nothing worked.
All through, the support never waned. The fans chanted ‘Nigeria, Nigeria’ (which they pronounced Niheria) all the time. They booed any call by the centre referee which went the way of France but which they felt should have gone to Nigeria. They enacted Mexican waves endlessly, using the opportunity to chant ‘Niheria, Niheria’. It was a moving spectacle all the way.
When France scored their first goal, you could hardly hear a cheer. But when Nigeria equalized with the last touch of the first half, the eruption of joy threatened the stadium foundation.
The most heartwarming, of course, was at the final whistle. The whole stadium stood and hollered ‘niheria, niheria’ even after their favourite team had disappointed. As we came out of the stadium, they were still here, lined up on the rails, showing so much love and suppot. It was unbelievable. The people of Coombia sure know how to support their beloved teams.
Next Week: Lessons from South America (2)