Memo to Finidi – Frank Ofili

Dear Finidi,

I will not assess your match tactics against the Bafana Bafana in the World Cup qualifiers yesterday. I think it is too early to start assessing your technical competence, or lack of it. This is not helped by the fact that you picked up the Super Eagles manager’s job at a crucial moment in our World Cup qualification journey, though some would argue that having been the first assistant to Jose Peseiro you should know enough to win yesterday’s match.

My aim in this short memo is to torch-light your information management, and how that may have cost us yesterday’s match against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

Only recently, you went to a popular sports radio station and revealed, on air, that you had a lot of information on the Bafana Bafana and the tactics they planned to unleash against the Super Eagles in the World Cup qualifiers yesterday. You further revealed that you had perfected a plan to blunt them.

If you ask me, I think that is an information you should have kept to your chest. You ought not to come on air to say you knew enough about Hugo Broos and his plans for that match. By going on air with what you knew, you may have unwittingly let the South Africans know that their plan had leaked, and thus, allowing them to rejig or completely change their yesterday’s match plans.

I listened to your post-match press conference yesterday, and I must say you committed the same mistake in information management. You let on, again on air, that in the coming match against Benin Republic, you would start Victor Boniface in the striking role instead of Paul Onuachu.

Again, I feel this is a howler at this time. Given Boniface’s exploits with Bayer Leverkusen in this just-ended Bundesliga season, your revelation will now enable Benin to plan specifically against him. Your information also means, unwittingly, that you were disappointed with Onuachu. This may demotivate him going forward – depending on how he takes it

If we are not careful, we may not achieve any positive result against Benin unless you have some strategic reason for letting on you would start Boniface. There is something to be said for keeping every player guessing. It makes them work extra hard to earn their place in the team. By your statement, you have somehow let Boniface know his place is assured in the team regardless of whether he works hard to merit it or not.

Don’t get me wrong. Given Boniface’s current performance at club level, there is no reason he shouldn’t start a match if Victor Osimhen is not available, but as the team manager, this is not, in my opinion, what you say ahead of time.

What is with local Super Eagles coaches and information mismanagement anyway?

The other time, that was how Austin Eguavoen as interim coach of the Super Eagles revealed, on air ahead of time, the tactics he was going to adopt to face Tunisia in the second round of the 2021 AFCON. He said it was the same tactics he used when the Super Eagles beat Egypt in the third match of the group games. For good measure, he went on to state that north African teams are not dissimilar in their playing pattern, and so whatever tactics that beat Egypt would beat Tunisia.

Well, the match came, and the Covid-stricken Tunisian team beat the Super Eagles to advance to the quarterfinals. How did they do it? They neutralized our wingers Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze.

My dear Finidi, I hope you won’t toe the same line Eguavoen did.

In the meantime, I am looking at you with gbejero eyes. And so are millions of Nigerians.