A COMPETITION WITH MANY LESSONS

A COMPETITION WITH MANY LESSONS

Sluggish, woeful, not good enough, lazy, poor, uncoordinated etc were a few of the adjectives used to describe the supposedly nature of play of the super chickens as they were nationally branded. Their frustrating style of play and the fragility of the defence whose best quality is conceding goals at the dying minutes of matches as witnessed in the first two matches won the Nigerian team to the 2013 CAF nations cup more enemies than friends. For an average analyst, it was glaring the team lacked character, sharpness and right mental attitude. The team struggled through the group stage and it was not surprising that two penalties were needed to overcome the doggedness of the Ethiopians who stood between the super eagles and qualification to the next round. A team that was forged in the fire of criticism some five weeks before the competition weren’t given much of a chance to succeed, the coach tactics was queried at some point and the overall performance of the team questioned. The team was an object of ridicule even by colleagues as it was well documented how the mighty Ivorians taunted the eagles prior to the quarterfinal clash. Three weeks on, the once relegated super chickens as fondly called by critics is now the daring team compared to the great 94 squad referred to as the best generation witnessed in the history of Nigeria football.

After careful observation and deep thought, I looked beyond the thrills of the just concluded tournament to highlight important nugget needed for a successful living. Aside from the realisation that success has many friends as clearly exhibited by the wild embrace of the super eagles as a dear team by many many who initially crucified it, some of the truths embedded in the lessons below transcends beyond the borders of the host nation, it sail beyond the many dramas experienced at the tournament and surpass the brilliance exhibited on the field of play. Let’s evaluate these pointers together.

A)     PRIDE COMES BEFORE DESTRUCTION

When a man has a ray of enviable talent, skill or results, the world is bound to exalt such individual, however when such person develop a haughty attitude birthed unjustifiable on the platform of I am better than others, then pride has set in. Humility is an attractant of grace; it draws to itself beauty, elegance, decency, love, favour and goodwill. (Dan 4: 28-33) Nebuchadnezzar was a king that gloried much in his wealth and royalty; he eventually paid for it ending up living in the bush like an animal. What a humbling scenario.

The applause, accolade and encomium showered on tournament favourite Ivory Coast brought complacency, self satisfaction and a superiority complex. It was rudely exhibited when some of the players boasted in the media of their preparedness to roast their Nigerian counterpart. Of course they left the competition disappointed as they were rudely eliminated by the people they castigated/relegated.

Pride is a killer. That you have an advantage over someone/people doesn’t make you superior to them, that you just got promoted and others did not doesn’t make you a star, that you are the best in class isn’t a proof of mastery, it’s just time and chance.

I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither bread to the wise, not yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill…but time and chances happeneth to them all……ECC 9:11.

I carefully listened to the speech of the super eagles coach and some players during the press conferences, it was glaring the current crop of players and the technical crew were a set of humble folks (at least they managed to show that). They had respect for other teams and treaded with caution. That’s a sign of strength and not weakness. It’s not surprising the best Nigerian player; Osaze wasn’t selected as a member of the squad for the reason of being arrogant and proud, he was constantly in the habit of querying the last three technical adviser directives and approach hence was dropped so as not be a negative influence to the young lads. I therefore stand to be corrected; no proud man can ever be a good role model.

Prov 27:1, Prov 9:12, 1 Sam 16:7, Prov 16:18, Phillipians 2:3, James 4:6, Psalm 101:5

B)      DISCIPLINE IS AN IMPORTANT KEY FOR SUCESS

Discipline is described as a training given to ensure proper behaviour; it’s the practise or method of teaching and enforcing acceptable pattern of behaviour. It is a “punishment” designed to teach someone obedience. When a family, establishment or organisation doesn’t embrace discipline, things goes bad for both the one that needs the correction and the person meant to give it. I wonder if Osaze would truly have been a good addition to the squad peradventure his flaws were tolerated and the right disciplinary measure wasn’t used by the coach. To drop not just one of your best players but several of them isn’t an easy decision to make, they might not have played to instructions, might have fuelled quarrels and fights in camp which certainly result in division and in turn affected the team spirit. They certainly might have done lot harm than good. Almost everyone(myself inclusive) crucified Keshi for dropping particularly Osaze but the coach knew what was best for his team, he wanted a no-ego situation in camp and he got it, the result is evident as he succeeded in becoming a champion with his team. When a child’s fault is tolerated and improperly managed in the face of pampering under the umbrella of love, such child always end up being a disaster and a headache for the family (this applies to other facet of life). Have you ever imagined why there are so many unimaginable atrocities in the developed countries? It’s because the training pattern of kids brought up in such environment is faulty to an extent. Those brought up under godly atmosphere and supervision is usually morally and socially upright

Pro 29:17-Where there is discipline there is delight, happiness, satisfaction, joy and pleasure. It literarily means where there isn’t discipline, unhappiness, dissatisfaction, grief, sorrow, regrettable/pitiable situations is to be experienced.

Prov 22:6, Prov 13:24

C)      SELF CONFIDENCE, COURAGE, FOCUS AND DETERMINATION ARE SUCCESS INGREDIENT

“It doesn’t really matter what people think about what Stephen Keshi is doing. The most important thing is what I am doing here and passing on to my team. If back home in my country, they don’t appreciate what I am doing with the team, so be it. You can’t force somebody to love you; you can’t force somebody to accept you. It has to come from within”.......Keshi’s quote after the game against Ethopia

Most folks accept the names the world call them, some easily crumble in the face of challenges and adversity. When insurmountable task befalls you, your attitude and reactions determines if you are going to overcome such situations. That the whole world doubted the ability of the super eagles didn’t make the technical crew or the players doubt themselves. The coach was always reiterating his belief and confidence in the team composition. He emphasised times without number on the need of people to believe in his boys. He certainly saw something we all couldn’t see at the beginning. Do you have a goal, vision, task or role to play, once doubt and fear sets in, you are as good as a loser. Even when the odd is against you, you need to embrace courage (Deut 31:6).

Confidence is self assurance and belief in one’s ability, it’s the faith put in oneself as no one would believe you if you don’t believe yourself. When confidence is lacking, trust disappears. Its confidence that keeps you encouraged in the face of troubles, unbelief and doubts. Confidence not thrown away has great gain, it is richly rewarded (Heb10:35). Heb 4:16- So when a man doesn’t approach with confidence, he receives neither mercy nor grace in time of need.

When a man isn’t focused and standing for something, he would fall for anything. Stephen Keshi is a man that exhibited high level of confidence and it counted for him in the day of judgment and celebration. Even when he was being criticised for dropping players, even when he was been labeled inferior to his foreign counterparts, even when his decision making was questioned by many including his employers, even when his squad was termed not good enough, he showed character, composure and calmness. Today he is not just appreciated but he is also celebrated. Doggedness and high level of confidence is a must acquire asset.

Philip 4:13, Psalm 27:1,13-14, 2Tim1:7, 1Sam17:34-37

D)     THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR FAILURE

The man at the pool of Bethesda for years didn’t get a miracle because of continuous unacceptable/unnecessary excuses (John 5: 1-7). Was he the only deformed person at the pool? Did others not get healed via rightful positioning/adequate strategy? An excuse is a means to justify; it is an overlooking bait, a reason to be absolved from blame, criticism or wrong doing. An excuse is a false reason that enables someone to do/avoid something he or she does/doesn’t want to do. It is a reason or explanation (not necessarily true) given in order to make a case appear acceptable. Whatever has been committed to our hands or whatever responsibility we have been given, there is no excuse acceptable to back any inadequacies or faltering steps.

The super eagles were widely condemned and were never given a chance by majority but they still didn’t make that situation the foundation for failure instead it was the driving force for collective achievement. It would have been accepted by the bookmakers if they had lost the match to the tournament favorite but that still wasn’t the basics for non performance and hence produced a superlative performance. The human nature is structured to embrace sympathy, we want people to see things the way we see it but it won’t get a man to his promise land. What distinguished Joshua and Caleb from the other spices was their non tolerance for negativity. There is no excuse tenable for unfruitfulness, non productivity, immaturity and failure. Many folks have succeeded in the same conditions that seem to be overwhelming to you. Imagine a long-term businessman that has no evidence of growth, a leader that cant motivate his/her followers for effective performance, a graduate who fails to tap into the great wealth of personal resource for efficient skill/talent optimisation necessary for self profiting, an orphan that blames his underachievement, illiteracy and life predicament on the demise of his/her parent etc... it shows characters who has molded a bedrock for lack of success. Common on, rise up from that comfort zone and shake off all the weight of sympathy seeking excuses. Everyman is an architect of his own success or failure hence there is no reason justifiable and of course no one deserving more of the blame of your incapacitation. (Luke 19: 11-26) The servant that never traded with his master’s coin only has himself to blame for the loss of it. No matter how little your resource is, it can still be worked on; it is viable and good enough to multiply.

E)      NEVER LOOK DOWN ON ANY MAN

Show me a man that looks down on others as a result of his position, fame, possessions, accomplishment or success and I would show you a man whose downward journey from the top of the ladder is inevitable. The Ivorian most especially a certain Eboue prided in the arrays of stars that make up his team and fail to recognise the strength of the opposition. I took time to read all his tweets prior to the Nigeria-Ivory Coast match and it portrayed a man immersed in coated arrogance. That a team is above another on the ranking doesn’t make it superior over others. The super eagles coach would always reaffirm his respect for other team even if they look inferior on paper. Whenever you look down on people, you don’t see, recognise or enjoy the good they offer. It is important to learn how to bridle the tongue when life appears rosy so as not to relegate those whose condition looked unpleasant (Prov 12:18). Like a popular lyrics of a songwriter, “No one know tomorrow”, the man you looked down on today might be the harbinger for tomorrow’s success or failure hence whatever position we find ourselves, we must channel our achievements towards others improvement. Who knows if the Nigerian team would have been knocked out in the quarter finals had it been some of the Ivorians never underrated them?  The rejected became the chief cornerstone; the underrated became the African champion. Never underestimate that new employee, never look down on that poor looking colleague, never take for granted that challenged friend, never categorise yourself as the high-class and some low-class. Remember Goliath looked down on the tiny looking David and he paid dearly for it with his life (1Sam17:41-51).

F)      NEVER ALLOW SENTIMENTS TO CLOUD YOUR DECISION MAKING

Sentiment is a mental feeling, a thought or idea based on emotion. I can bet the super eagle coach choose his squad based on deserving qualification devoid of emotion or feelings. Someone sold a tribal sentiment of having more of the south eastern folks in the super eagle’s squad, and just like Adam fell to the deceit to eating the forbidden fruit, many people also bought it (myself inclusive). My premise is no one would have been dropped if he was considered better than any of those picked. I see tribal/ethnic sentiment dominate employment process; I see emotional attachment influence decisions at offices, worship centres and homes. When we push aside the qualified for the self loved, attaining results would be difficult. Christ eternal influence wasn’t borne out of sentiment; it was born out of purposeful hard work and sacrifice (Philip 2:5-11).

G)     UNITY IS A BINDING FORCE

Joseph Yobo when he granted an interview prior to the finals of the Nations cup made mention of unity amongst the squad as a reason for going far in the competition. Where there is harmony, there is certainly love. United they say we stand and divided we fall. The power of unity in a family, group or team cannot be overemphasized. It is a condition of being one, a whole/complete state arising from the fusion of ideologies and differences. It is the singleness or constancy among individuals or groups, a situation when interest, feelings and opinions is in perfect accord. When there is unity, there is a sense of belonging, coordination, understanding, readiness to sacrifice and most importantly growth. Goals and targets are achieved easily in a team with one voice. (Psalm 133:1-3, Col 3:14, Eph 4:1-6) Where there is unity there is love, humility, gentleness and patience. It took God himself to disrupt the plans of a people so fiercely knitted in vision and act as their planned tower building to the heavens would have been achievable if there wasn’t any divine interruption (Gen115-7). Hence anywhere there is no common language, there would be confusion, strife and can never be progress.

Written By Olukokun Adedeji Oladipo