Nigeria Football Federation has come under severe criticism from some
ex-internationals who have condemned the list of Legends Eleven it
released recently.
The list, announced at the NFF Awards nearly two weeks ago, has
attracted widespread condemnation largely because of the omission of
great players such as late Stephen Keshi and Rashidi Yekini; and
ex-internationals, Henry Nwosu, Friday Elaho, Moses Kpakor and Etim
Etim, were united in their submission that the federation embarrassingly
erred.
Nwosu said it appeared the list was compiled in bad faith and was an
attempt to ridicule some great players including himself who had brought
honours to Nigeria with their talent.
He said: “Was Henry Nwosu mentioned in the list? No! I was at the event
and some of those who were in the list did not agree with what the NFF
came up with. For instance, Ann Chiejine was picked as the best goal
keeper ahead of great individuals like Emmanuel Okala and Peter Rufai
who also attended the ceremony.
How can that happen? I think those who drew that list did it to
favour themselves, it was done to get at some people. I don’t think the
task was given to knowledgeable persons, if not we would not have had
that kind of shame. Yekini is not there, Keshi is not there and you want
people to accept it?”
For Elaho, the list was an insult on the memory of Keshi and Yekini who he described as two of the greatest African players.
“I don’t know what those who came up with the list were trying to do ,
did they ignore Keshi and Yekini because they are no more? There is no
way anybody can rationalise it that these great men are not some of the
best this country has ever produced. Yekini is still our highest goal
scorer in history and Keshi did what no Nigerian has ever done by
winning the Nations Cup both as a player and coach. He was the
longest-serving captain of the team, the greatest motivator since he
took over from Christian Chukwu as the skipper and you removed him,” he
said.
Esin argued it was ridiculous to lump men and women together in a
list and the Eagles had produced such great players in the past that any
women should share glory with these legends. He said he was not trying
to play down the importance of women football, but it was a great
disservice to the game to equate male and women soccer.
“It is a disgrace, why should you combine men and women football? You
know we like to be the first to do certain things and maybe FIFA and
CAF will start having a combined list of best men and women footballers.
It is a shame and total rubbish, women football started around 1990 and
you put it on the same level with that of men that had been there for
many decades,” he said.
“It is so disheartening how some people misuse the opportunity they
are given. I am still wondering why some people would come up with such a
disgraceful list,” Kpakor quipped.
“How can we have a list of all-time 11 players in Nigeria and the
all-time top scorer is not there? It is a joke taken too far. Yekini is
the greatest Nigerian striker of all time, the record is there;
everywhere he went to, he was always the best scorer throughout his
career. At Shooting Stars and even Abiola Babes, he was the best scorer
in the league and when he went to Cote d’Ivoire, he was their highest
scorer for three consecutive seasons. He was in Portugal and set the
record there again.
“Yekini was a born goalscorer, how can you exclude the man whose
goals gave Nigeria the first ticket to the World Cup and went ahead to
score the first goal in that tournament? The first African Footballer of
the Year winner from Nigeria, it is a joke. Even Thompson Usiyen was
never in Yekini’s class.
“Then again, one of the most successful players in Africa, Keshi, was
also wickedly overlooked. It is a shenanigan. Keshi to me was more than
a footballer; he was a motivator, a coach on the pitch. He was one of
the few defenders that could score goals, he carried his team on his
shoulder, he talked to everyone on the pitch and made the job of a coach
so easy. We don’t have many defenders like that anymore in the world
and for some people to downgrade his immense talent and achievements
like that is a disgrace. “