Nigerian Football Needs Brain Reset – Isaac, Germany Based Football Lawyer

FRANCIS ACHI/ABUJA

Henry Isaac is a Germany based consultant and lawyer. He spoke with FRANCIS ACHI on the problems bedeviling Nigerian football over the years and proper ways out of the woes.

Please introduce yourself to our esteemed readers

My Name is Henry Isaac. A sports consultant /sports lawyer licensed under German Football Federation. I reside in Frankfurt, Germany. I have foster parents; German parents that raised me but I was born in Nigeria.
I started in the Frankfurt youth team from when Austin Jay Jay Okocha was there and when their set left I played the first team. I stopped at the age of 31 to go back to school to study. When I finished, I worked for 4 years with the biggest sports agency in Germany. Then I started my own company in 2016. Some people had advised me to come and help the youth development in Nigeria as a Nigerian.  So last year November was my first trip and then Abuja was the second trip I did.

Nigeria failed to qualify for the second round at the just concluded Russia 2018 World Cup and shockingly Germany too did not qualify for the second round. What really happened to the Super Eagles in Russia and the way forward for the team?

First of all, for the German team we already knew what happened and since they arrived from World Cup the German coach had been under pressure from the German Football Association. Since last month, they have already started to prepare for the next World Cup by building a football academy in Frankfurt just for kids who have talents which will cost 190million Euros. The construction started this week.
Regarding Nigeria, it will take a decade for any African team to get to the World Cup semi final not even final, not to talk about winning the cup.

What went wrong with the Super Eagles and how can the team improve in the next edition in 2022 if the team qualifies?

The next edition in 2022 will still be the same thing on and on and on. Too many things needed to be done. Sports as a whole in Nigeria is nothing to write home about. The first thing that needed to be done is on the management, and then you go to the coaching and the players finally. In every team, if the management is not good it will affect the team.

What are the things that needed to be done especially in the coaching side? How do you rate Gernot Rohr? Some critics are of the firm opinion that the manager, Rohr, ruined the Super Eagles in Russia.

Tactically yes. When you want cheap you get cheap. If you go and buy a T-shirt for 2 dollars, If you wash it once it will be worn out! But if you buy a T-shirt for 20 dollars, you can wear it for 2-3 years. Nigeria has the money to get a world class coach, but they will not do it. I tell you what; Nigeria has more talented players than any other country in the world. It is just the mentality that is killing them. Till we decide to make it right, nothing will happen.

Every 3 months I work in Brazil. I have studied their league and their football. Can you tell me the difference between Brazil and Nigeria when it comes to talents in football? Nothing! But they can decide to play the World Cup with home based players and get to the knockout stages or even do more. It is because they do not play when it comes to football! The country might be corrupt but when it comes to football they do not play. As soon as we leave hate, cheating, lies, greed, and so on, then Nigeria will be back on track to the football nation it can be.

Is Rohr still the right coach for the Super Eagles?

No.

So who is the right coach for the team?

Nigeria has the money to employ any coach. There are top class coaches in the world! There are also some honest coaches in Nigeria who they can bring to Europe to further their coaching careers. My problem with Nigeria is that we just hire any coach because he is white.
There are top European coaches, they will only cost more but they won’t do it because maybe the person in charge of the money won’t bring it out or he wants the person he can control.
I have approached like two Nigerian coaches and I told them I will help them to organise coaching clinics handled by German football because I see that they are honest people and are good coaches. But these few coaches will not get anywhere! Why? Maybe because they don’t know anybody or maybe they don’t have the connections

Can you kindly name two Nigerian coaches that can handle the Super Eagles and the team will excel?

Nduka Ugbade and Henry Abiodu and I am still studying Fidelis  Ilechukwu – the coach of MFM. My next trip I will go and see his games live. It was my first time coming to Nigeria to study Golden Eaglets, Under 20 team, Falconets Under 20. So I think young coaches should be brought up to speed.

How do you see the Golden Eaglets in camp now?

You mean the under 20.  That’s not Golden Eaglets or have they stopped doing the bone test? I thought that’s what got them disqualified last 2 years or am I wrong? The Golden Eaglets have been crowned FIFA Under 17 World Champions five times, yet they have not reflected in the Super Eagles performance at the World Cup. The ones I saw were not under 17. Sorry to Nigerians!

How do you mean?

I saw them. Yes, I saw U-20 too and the female team. Under-17 was supposed to be for those that is under 17 years. What I saw in Abuja were not under 17 and I am not surprised to hear that a lot of the players failed the MRI test again this time. I knew that most of the players I saw in Abuja will not pass the MRI test.

MRI test is one which as a young 19-year old you can scale through because you can be 19 and still have a kid bone in the eyes of MRI.  But those kids I saw there, only few players might be 19 years old. I think only about four players might be between 18-19 years old.

So what are you implying?

What I am implying is they should work more on youth programmes in Nigeria. Germany is building academy for youths worth 190million Euros and they are not stupid. They know what they are doing.

Please give more insight to the 190million Euros that Germany is investing in football development.

Germany doesn’t pay attention to Under 17 World Cup. They raise their talent here, that’s why they want to build more academies. But the reverse is the case in Nigeria.

Are German players more talented and naturally endowed with football skills than Nigerian players?

I said before that Nigeria has the most talented players when it comes to football. Nigerians are talented more than Germans. But still they do better than Nigeria. The only reason Germans or any European country go far is because they are disciplined, mentally ready, went to football schools and also started from under 5 which we don’t have in Africa. If Croatia with her 4 million people can get to the World Cup finals why not Nigeria?  It is just the brain and the mindset. Then you take away corruption which is the main point till today which will always be there. Nigeria must also work on the discipline and mentality of the players.

What is your final message to the custodians of football in Nigeria?

My message to the football authorities is that they should give people who have the knowledge and the gift the chance to run their football. Give young coaches a chance, train them very well. The football administrators in Nigeria should manage the game well and also create room for overseas training of those involved in the game to update their knowledge. Coaches must update their coaching licenses. Football is more than what we think in Nigeria. It is a wealthy business and we must have rich knowledge of the game to progress as a country. Nigerian football needs a brain reset, a total reprogramming of the brain to succeed.