Rio: Problems force more roles on Siasia

There are more than one person in the Samson Siasia that this reporter has observed closely here in the Olympic team’s camp in Atlanta, USA. There’s Siasia the coach. We have Siasia the team marketer, Siasia the father and Siasia the Public Relations man for NIGERIA.

The realities in the team have compelled these roles. Time will tell the extent to which he could achieve in these roles. But would he not be better concentrating on his coaching job and see the impact his team çould make at the Rio Olympics? The last time he was on this job he won a silver, losing gallantly to Argentina through a goal from Di MARIA. Messi had been well checked but Di Maria proved an angel to the Argentines and Siasia lost a second title to the South Americans having lost the Under 17 World Cup to them before the Beijing Olympics. Yes, ordinarily, Siasia would certainly be better concentrating on his coaching job. But these are not ordinary times for the team. These are hard times for the team and if he does only the coaching job he may fail in Rio. The team arrived here without money and Nigeria is not even responsible for their stay in their first 10 days here. A private person is paying their bills but his sponsorship is for only ten days after which the team could be stranded if Abuja does not react. So siasia is hoping that Abuja will be reasonable enough to play their role. When he is not on the soccer pitch coaching he is busy making calls and and searching for alternatives. He appears to be coping well but the man needs help from his country. They won the African championship without their allowances and bonuses until the last moment. Siasia had to use his personal money to motivate his players. In David Ngodiga, Fatai Amao and Monday Odigie he has a good team of assistants. They have not been paid salaries for three months and the lures of national team have since faded. They are all hanging in on some goodwill but there are limits and they are facing the hard realities on the ground now. Their coaching is going on well but they need motivation in many areas. They are busy oing endurance training now. It is highly physical so that the fitness level of the team will be high at the time they will land in Brazil. They are running and doing drills that will help their fitness. “It will be so for now but we will follow with more tactical work in the last two weeks of our training here”, Siasia explains at the soccer training ground of Georgia State University where the team trains. They are also doing ball work but emphasis for now is on fitness. The faces of the players express the rigors at almost breaking points but somehow they get inspired by the words of Siasia, the coach. “Common boys, do more for yourself and your country, go faster and maintain the tempo. Nobody will dash you Olympic gold. You have to win it and we are here to win it,” he says at one time and at another you could hear “hard work pays and many of you may get professional contracts in Europe if you work hard. You have the platform to win for your country and yourself.” There is also avalanche of fatherly admonition. The big names from Europe are yet to join the team but Siasia would not wait endlessly for them. He is focusing on the players here and would be ready to play in Brazil with them. About six players have left for Europe since they started and won the African Championship in Senegal. And Siasia sees that as a progress for the players. But what he doesn’t understand is why Nigerian players lack the excitement to play for Nigeria. The answer could be in what he is experiencing even as we know that patriotism pays. Siasia promotes Nigeria. People want know about Nigeria and he portrays Nigeria in good light and people are excited. But football appears to be the factor and nothing more. Unfortunately the game is not getting support from the authorities in Nigeria. It is so for other sports going to the Olympics. These are no ordinary or normal times for Nigerian sports. Soccer and other sports are Olympic bound can tell the story better.