Sports Parliament with Kasali

Harris , Trump, Paris 24 fiasco , and the Super Eagles of Nigeria 

Harris , Trump, Paris 24 fiasco , and the Super Eagles of Nigeria 

Welcome back to Sports Parliament with Kdo 

President Biden performed poorly in an early debate against Donald Trump just before the 2024 Paris Olympics went full blast . 

The cost was deadly for him , and his party. His loss, Kamila Harris’s gain. Following ? 

Trump was almost taken out by a disgruntled member of agitating generation. Almost defiant with a bloody ear that almost made into a sieve , now  has a sharp minded and organized Harris to contend with .  She is said “to full ground “, if you burrow form Nigeria’s rich creative lexicon. 

I am sure that you copy that.  

I can’t but liken these close calls and contending issues of faith and service , to the dangling hope of Nigeria’s Super Eagles with a new coach, and 2026 Fifa World cup finals in the Americas. Surprised? 

Not yet . 

The nation’s failure in 2024 Paris Olympics is now another stuff on the plate of Nigeria’s Sports Minister, and some calls from some powerful quarters for heads to roll in a Ministry where more officials went to the event than  athletes were . 

Lobatan ! Church never closed yet oooo. 

Journeys with conflicting confidence in the face of hope, undoubtedly similar to the trending slopes and strides of the world’s leading democracy. 

When Biden flipped at the debate alluded to above, tongues wagged about his ability to beingk a two term preident , finally, the needful was done and the democrats prevailed and the way was paved for Kamila Harris became the presumptive presidential candidate for the democratic party. 

The rest could be history . 

As Trump recounted and recovered from a nearly severed ear, his trumping ride again to the white house slowed , and Harris soured .

Nigeria’s NFF leadership still dances  naked and alone in the market square, was said to have hired a new German coach for the super Eagles less than 15 days to a crucial do or die qualifying match against the Squirrels of Benin , a squad coached by a tactician familiar with the ways of the fumbling and wobbling super eagles . 

A square of a squad with a lot of potential, talents  and hope but short changed by opportunistic vagabonds who cannot generate for results that can make Nigerians happy lately . 

Just days after the duel with the squirrels,  the team heads out to Namibia against a team that can spoil the party for any unserious team like the Eagles, just as Trump can still spoil the land for the democrats who need to be together for a-good fight. 

I wish the NFF egg head could close ranks and fight a good fight and sign back smiles on the faces of Nigerians under the burden of huge financial stress as we speak !

This two matches could spell  for the eagles and lead to another permutation debacle about the nation’s flag bring hoisted at the biggest soccer spectacle in 2026. 

If the coach , the new coach, of the super eagles failed to deliver, it will be similar to Biden’s less than a podium performance in the last presidential debate against  Trump, and tongues could wag faster than they did in when Coach Findi George failed to make the eagles fly as head coach. 

If the new coach is able to qualify the eagles, it look like a Camila Harris winning Trump and setting a new world record sooner than expected as a revamped occupant of America’s White House . 

While I hope for the best with the super eagles of Nigeria , and beg the NFF to spare no rods in ensuring that the nation is at the 2026 soccer fiesta without killing the hope for 2025 Afcon to redeem the pulsating defeat in Ivory Coast early this year at Afcon. 

Bolted Trump will not relent in throwing jabs despite the plethora of legal challenges he still faces, Harris must calm all nerves and push for straight upper cut that will retire Trump for life from smelling a return to the White house and stop all his racists chats toward africans with solid potential to dominate the world in so many realms including soccer  , as the new super eagles coach needs to look in league house of the nation’s the local league, and think way and above from competition’s drive,  than developing the raw and pure talents in football in all crannies of Nigeria like Harris combing the colonies of brown and black hoodies. 

The only way that our fading soccer can wake and rank well with fear of heat attacks each team the national teams play . Many have their doubts , some still remain courageously optimistic that better days can come faster than imagined. 

Nosing deep in the fragmented coalition of white support for Trump will help disrobe Trump permanently in the Nov 2024 US presidential election into the White house .

Although, no one excepts the “new eagles” to be perfect , but having the team steady under the new handlers is an expectation of soccer dazed Nigerians where failures are always met with huge criticisms, and head- rolling judgement. When it comes to soccer, Nigerians no wan carry last ! 

If one juxtaposes the Nigerian expectations of victory in all matches the team plays, the political reality on ground for Harris is , if victory happens for the democratic party in Nov , 2024, a potential President Kamila Harris will be under a lot of intense pressure to perform, and begin to bridge the gap between hope and hopelessness for all Americans regardless of gender, race , economic divides and unqualified political leadership, some say has not happened lately with , and during the last leg of President Biden’s legacy spiked by age concerns. 

Kamila Harris will want to be on a solid ground after caging loud mouth Trump, and when the honeymoon is over for her and her team , assuming that she wins. And if she clinches the cup , the whole world will be watching to see her as the most powerful president, and a person of color in such sensitive and celebrated position, and I hope she taps from the hefty outcomes of polished women that have ruled the world politically from their climes. 

Those celebrated world leaders although few , who have had a podium and flag flying performance , and from whom she can attempt or pretend to learn from as no one makes to the tip alone . 

No one . 

And for the Super eagles of Nigeria, all the missteps of the last coaching shortfall will be excepted to be worked upon by the new German football buff, and stamp his authority on the the blend of football that Nigeria is respected for. 

He may need to chat with Westerhof and Jo Bonfere about the brand and blend of the eagles samba just as Harris needs to remain focused and tap from the goodness of US presidents with belt of performance, and Trump face his legal logs, and pray not to go to jail. 

The Super Eagles under the new coach win matches and qualify for 2025 Afcon and 2026 Fifa’s World Cup in the  Americas. 

Abdulgafar Oladimeji

Abdulgafar Oladimeji is a sports writer with over two decades experience in the industry. As a reporter , he has worked with top major Nigerian newspapers, freelancer with newspaper and broadcast media organizations in Africa, Europe and America. He is a well travelled sports journalists reporting major sports events across the globe.

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