[dropcap]I[/dropcap] was the number one campaigner on Facebook for you to get this job but after the investigations I made overnight, I can confidently say that “You mismanaged this particular matter” – the facts that I now have of what actually occurred between you and Vincent Enyeama is simply shameful – away from the version that is being largely circulated in the media.
I have one word of advice for you – there were many people that didn’t want you to have this job – in fact, some of even said you had paid me to campaign for you but I insisted you had the required mental and technical frame to do this job – these same people are waiting for you to fail so they can say “I told you so; he is too arrogant” – do not let the pressure these same people are putting on you to over-perform to lead you to fail – and woefully too.
The interview you granted about “Musa v Enyeama v Captaincy” was jaundiced in my opinion – you don’t tell a 100+ Capped Player of over 13 years that “you want to build the team with players that are not retiring” when he is still currently rated a top 3 goalie in the French Ligue – then it gets worse – by you going political with your analogy to “the new President!”
The very thing that I stood with you for when it was done against you by NFA in Burkina Faso is what you have done to this gentleman – and please, most importantly – he did lose his mum – and it is apparent that you initially fell for the rumours [being spread by the same people that want you to fail] that he was lying about this when the woman died leading to missing camp at the time.
I am also not sure that you offered him your official condolences through this entire period; Bros, some of us have come to know that “Intelligence, Competence and Skills” are not the only things a man needs to excel in a career, so also do you need “Excellent People and Relationships Management” as well even moreso as a football manager.
There is also the talk about “NFF wanting to push out old players to build a new tam” – don’t let them lead or push you to do “a good thing in a bad way” – let things mature naturally – don’t force it – because it is not as though you can fully boast of the most competent replacements yet for these older players – not fully for Enyeama despite Ikeme’s performances and not for the others as well.
I won’t be advising you to beg Vincent to return to the team but I would be expecting you to make amends by having him have a proper and befitting retirement from the national team should he insist on doing so – this thing was done to you – don’t go into the records of allowing yourself be the tool that makes this happen to him as well.
Best wishes.
Favour Afolabi is a political commentator who runs fbablogs.com in his spare time; and owns a real estate brokerage services company. He tweeted from @favourafolabi.
The opinions expressed in this mail are solely those of the author.
