Good morning Guys.
What a delight it is to be able to get back on here today. As you know, our previous site was compromised – for reasons best known to my designer and his friends. I mean the domain (www.thatenyimbafan.com) is still available and is housing our content but we are unable to continue posting there. We have moved to .blog and we will be here for the time being.
The temptation is to make this post about what happened in Egypt a few days ago and there is indeed a lot to talk about, but why stay stewing over a bad result? Nothing we say can change the outcome. In fact, 9 out of 10 times, Enyimba comes back from Northern Africa empty handed. So in reality, anything other than a defeat would have been a miracle – In my opinion. Does that mean we should just roll over when we return to play Zamalek in the near future? No.
Personally, I was envisioning a defensive masterclass – think of the Egyptians smashing into the woodwork like headbanging rock fans, while our fearless goalie Ani makes impossible saves like a superhero. Then of course, they’d get a penalty at the end of the game and blast it into the stratosphere. That way, we’d at least get a point out of the deal. Wake up – that’s just not how the game went down. We lost 2-0.
There is a reason why Enyimba is the only team from Nigeria to have won the CAF Champions League and that feat was over 20 years ago. There is a reason why Nigerian Teams, no matter how good can barely sniff in the Continent. We can get the occasional unreal run once in a while but it is always more of an exception rather than the norm. It is not a surprise, why? Because success is not a miracle.
This “Continental failure” waterfall starts from the top – from the administrators all the way down to the teams, coaches, players and even fans. We have administrators who have no vision for their respective clubs. Call up any of the 20 club chairmen and ask them, “What is your vision for your club”? “Where do you envision this club in the next 5 years?” Most of them are just middle men, collecting salaries from State Governors to pay players and pocket the rest.
A lot of them admire the clubs in Europe – the organization and financial pull most of them possess. Yet every appointment is just another way to enrich themselves and there’s nothing being done to grow the club, increase its finances and bring glory and trophies to the fans. Most will gladly accept the idea of trophies but again, success is not an accident. It has to be very well planned for.
Solutions? I can offer one for starts. Get an education. Enroll with Sports Business Institutions and learn the rudiments of Sports Administration. From Team Management to Communication, Leadership, Facilities to Fan Engagement, Marketing to Sponsorships, insight in these areas will produce outstanding results. s far as attracting fans to the stadium, think about this – Every city has entertainment spots seeking the money in the pocket of you fans. Why should a fan spend N500 to buy a ticket to your game rather than spend N12,000 at Crunchies or Genesis Cinemas? How do you market your club/product to the fans?
10 years from today, people will evaluate your level of contribution at your club. You won’t be a chairman forever- someday someone else will replace you. Question is, what will your legacy be?
The clock is ticking.
