Former Nigerian international Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha has declared that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) needs a new structure and a new set of people who can add value, warning that any reform effort will struggle for as long as recommendations from outside voices continue to be ignored.
Addressing calls for former internationals to get involved in football administration, Okocha said the criticism was unfair without first asking harder questions about viability.
“You’ll be unfair to people like me to say: ‘Oh no, I’m not interested,’” he said in an interview aired on Brila fm. “But the truth is… you ask yourself: is it worth it to try? What if you don’t succeed? It’s not just you — you need a team. Are you all on the same page? Which people are you going to work with?”
Okocha pointed to his own experience as Chairman of the Delta State Football Association, a post he held from 2015 until stepping down before completing his tenure, as an example of the obstacles facing well-intentioned administrators.
He said: “I tried it a bit. I went to Delta State, I took the chairmanship position, but when I saw what was going on, I left. It’s not worth it,” he said. “But to be honest, people out there — they will not forgive us if we keep quiet.”
He linked administrative dysfunction to Nigeria’s fading presence on the global stage, noting the Super Falcons’ absence from the upcoming Women’s World Cup as the latest example. NigerianHealth News
“Life gets a lot easier if we’re winning,” he said. “The Women’s World Cup is coming up and we’re not taking part. Nobody will remember us because Nigeria is not taking part. So now we’re leaning on what our players achieved in Europe with their clubs, and normally it should be the other way around.”
Okocha insisted the crisis was fixable with the right people in place.
“These things can be fixed, and that’s the annoying part — it’s not rocket science,” he said. “Just put the good structure in and get people that can add value. I believe we all have a role to play.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
