Like millions of football fans worldwide, after watching Germany defeat Argentina 1-0 in extra time to win the World Cup in Brazil, both finalists are being applauded and non-nationals of Germany are left to rue ‘What could have been’ for their individual countries.
Nigeria had a respectable showing at the World Cup. However, the general consensus that we can do better. For Nigerians, the following questions arise:
- Can Nigeria ever win the world cup?
- If we can, what do we need to do?
These questions are explored in detail below.
Can Nigeria ever win the world cup?
This question has only 2 answers – Yes or No. You cannot ‘maybe or possibly’ win the world cup. You either win it or you don’t. Either of these two answers have logical reasons for being chosen.
For those in the ‘No’ camp, fingers will be pointed at the level of organization at the football federation. Further ammunition is added to the ‘No’ camp because at the time of writing this article, the Nigerian Football Federation has been sanctioned by FIFA, the football governing body for interference by the Government.
Those in the ‘Yes’ camp will tell you that whist there may be problems now, as long as we qualify for the World Cup, there is a statistical chance that Nigeria can win the World Cup.
Nigerian players have the natural talent, flair, ability and there are thousands of footballers to select from in a country that boasts of about 160 million people.
If Nigeria can win the world cup, what do we need to do?
To answer this question, let’s find out what the current world champions, Germany have done.
While Germany’s success can be attributed to many things, it could all be traced back to the role and method of preparation using technology.
Germany’s World cup preparations did not start a few months to the world cup. On the contrary according to Joachim Loew, the 54 year old coach of Germany, “I think that we were 50 days together but this is a project we started 10 years ago…we started it with Juergen Klinsmann (after 2004) and then we continued it. Our biggest strength is that we improved throughout the years even if we missed taking that last step at tournaments”.
The German Football Association (DFB) invested in youth centers which work closely with the various Bundesliga clubs and keeps an index of the performance of each of these players. These youth players are assimilated into the German league structure with teams fielding younger players with more technical skills. This led to Germany fielding one of its youngest teams in 76 years at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
To be fair, the Nigerian Football Federation has invested in youth centers particularly with the support of FIFA through projects such as the FIFA ‘Goal’ Project.
Like Germany, Nigeria needs to use technology to build a database and index the performance of each of these players and track them as they develop. The good thing is Nigerian companies such has Debonair Devices Ltd which manufacture the ‘Made-In-Nigeria’ range of tablet computers, mobile phones and other mobile internet devices under the ‘Bamboo’ brand have offered to help the NFF keep track of Nigerian players over a 10-year period with a Nigerian Players Index which will commence from the 2015/2016 season.
In addition, Bamboo Devices will be used to monitor player performance in training sessions (especially during camping of the Nigerian National Team) using technology that will measure the speed, acceleration, distance, heart rate and power levels of every athlete in training. This information will be made available to the Coach, NFF, Clubs and other experts on their Bamboo tablet computers and mobile phones provided by Debonair.
The data can also be used for post session in-depth analysis. The detailed performance data will allow coaches and trainers to fine tune each player’s skills and plan workouts that focus on particular areas of need. Using the methods above (and with a little luck), Nigeria can be genuine trophy contenders in the Qatar 2022 or 2026 World Cups.
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