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Super Eagles German coach may have enjoyed tremendous support from Nigerians, National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), but he must be told that his job is on the line if he fails to clinch the Nations Cup shield in Ghana. He may have no excuse than to join the next available flight from Accra, Ghana, enroute Munich or Frankfurt.

Reading the riot act from his dining table at his sprawling mansion in the highbrow Asokoro Area of Abuja, NSC Director General, Dr. Amos Adamu, told Daily Sunsport that the NFA would be left with no option than to boot the German tactician out if he fails to lead the Eagles to a cup victory in Ghana.

"We have made everything available for Berti Vogts, so he has no excuse if he fails to win in Ghana," Dr. Adamu, who will soon become a pastor, said. "We have paid his salaries, his allowances and every other thing he requested. I was shocked when I read in some newspapers that Vogts complained of unpaid salary. I knew that the story was far from the truth. I had to personally convince Globacom to pay his salary, even before it was due.

"To whom much is given, much is expected. We have done everything possible to enable him win the trophy. When I say everything, I mean everything. So, he has no excuse. The players are happy. They all know what they will receive at every stage of the competition. They have everything in camp and they are enjoying the best of treatment. They have the right attitude and Vogts should work on the camaraderie in the team to fashion out a winning team.

"Nigeria has what it takes to win the trophy. We have won the bronze three times, so we are the most consistent team on the continent.

"What’s more, Nigeria has good players, who are play in some of the best teams in the world. I do not see any of the teams coming to Ghana that will not shiver at the mention of our Super Eagles. The only thing we can do is to support and encourage them. We have done our bits and the ball is now in Vogts’ court."

Dr. Adamu is not squinting his eyes for a second over reports on the invincibility of the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire and Mali, saying FIFA can’t be faulted for rating Nigeria as the best football country on the continent. Neither is the man disturbed by the rampaging power of back-in-form Didier Drogba or Frederic Kanoute. "Bookmakers are free to forecast but that’s where it ends — a mere forecast. Nigeria is not new on the continent and we have a good team now."

A strong member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Dr. Adamu disclosed that the continental body would talk extensively on good officiating by the referees at the CAF Congress holding in Accra tomorrow. He added that bad officials could mar the success of the continental soccer festival.

"CAF is not treating the issue of officiating with kid gloves," he said. "We are looking at it with all seriousness and we are going to read the riot act to the referees before the kick-off. We do not want a situation where a team will get undue advantage over others because of bias officiating. We have a man who knows his onions as head of the placement of the men in black.

He’s been tested and trusted."
Speaking on the local scene, the former NFA sole administrator said football would continue to degenerate in Nigeria as long as the NSC has no direct control over what the states are doing in sports.
Hear him: "It is sad that the NSC has no direct control over what the states do. We have no control over the governors. For instance, if any governor decides to close his two eyes to sports in his state, we can ask him why he’s doing that. A governor who does not like sports may choose to bar his state from the popular National Sports Festival and the heavens will not fall. In fact, we can force him to participate.

"If the NSC had direct control over the directors of sports in the states, then we ask them to follow our sports policy. That way, we can talk of an effective and uniform sports development. But as it is now, something is wrong with the system."

Way out of the quandary? Dr. Adamu says the only way is for the governors to allow the clubs solely sponsored by the states to go into the stock market.

"If we have these local clubs in the stock market you will be shocked that they will be over subscribed. Nigerians will rush to invest in the clubs, more than what we have at present in the banking sector. What we have in the banking sector now will be child’s play. I’m so confident that the governors will even make more money from the clubs," Adamu asserted.