Tajudeen Disu, popularly known as Gaddafi, during his playing days, was a member of the Flying Eagles squad that represented Nigeria in her first appearance at any FIFA organised tournament at the Mexico ‘83 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
He later played for the Super Eagles before he was awarded a scholarship by the late Pillar of Sports in Africa, Chief M.K.O Abiola to study abroad in an American University.
In this interview with Ifeanyi Eduzor, the former National Bank of Lagos, Abiola Babes of Abeokuta and Leventis United of Ibadan defender opens up on the problems militating against the development of Nigerian football and many more.
How would you compare your playing days with what is happening now?
There is no basis for comparison. During our time, we played the game with passion and dedication and we were not after monetary gain. Fans then looked forward to watching good football, especially FA Cup finals when the stadium was usually filled to capacity hours before kick off. The reverse is the case now. Today, every average Nigerian footballer wants to travel abroad to ply his trade and the passion is no longer there.
Also, when I look back at our days, I remember with nostalgia the type of quality football and the opposition among the teams then and the capacity crowd that was always at the stadium to watch league matches. Unfortunately, all those things are gone.
Would one be right to blame the situation on foreign leagues, which Nigerian soccer fans are now more interested in?
The problem goes beyond that because during our time, foreign league was there but it never affected the development of our league.
One major reason the country’s local league went down is the attitude of administrators and national team coaches who believe that only foreign based players are good for the national teams.
This attitude has made our players to always think of going abroad and often times end up in such countries as India, Lebanon, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Qatar and even Oman whose leagues are far below that of Nigeria just because they want to play for the national team.
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In our time, before a foreign based player can break into the Eagles camp, he must be very good and of course he must fight for shirt and prove to the coaching crew that he is better than all the home based players in that particular wing.
But don’t you think it was so then, because most of the national team players were playing in the local league?
The answer is no because that time, we had a couple of Nigerian professionals in Europe who were eager to play for the country and even pay their flight tickets to join us in camp. But the difference is that nobody was ready to give them preference ahead of others. They must fight for shirt and if found good enough, they will be selected but now the reverse is the case and it is a serious indictment on the NFF and national team coaches.
How would you describe the poor performance of the country’s teams at continental championships bearing in mind the recent crashing out of Lobi Stars and Enugu Rangers from both the CAF champions League and the Confederation Cup?
The poor showing of Nigerian clubs at continental championships is an embarrassment to the nation and both the NFF and League Management Committee ( LMC) must share in the blame.
I say this because the football house makes so much money from government, FIFA grant and corporate Nigeria but failed to make the local league attractive and highly competitive which is a contributory factor to what we are witnessing. Although the crashing out of Lobi Stars and Rangers did not come to me as a surprise because how can one explain that a League champion was crowned when you still have many matches to play and once this type of absurdity is not corrected, we will continue to have problems in CAF organised competitions.
But some stakeholders are praising the NFF and LMC for improvement in the league and their ability to attract sponsors to our football?
I’ m sorry to say that those praising them are doing so out of ignorance. As far as I am concerned, those running our football have no business being there. Many of them are there because of the financial gain they get. Each time, they keep telling us that they made money but has that translated to any meaningful development of our football, of course the answer is no. They should also stop deceiving unsuspecting Nigerians with the claim that the national teams under their watch have won several trophies and qualified for the last World Cup. Achievements goes beyond that, they should be bold enough to tell Nigerians how much they have made and which facilities they’ve used that money to upgrade in the country.
It is high time the NFF come out neat and tell Nigerians how much they’ve generated and what they have used the money for instead of misleading people.
How would you rate the present Super Eagles handler, Gernot Rohr whom many have been praising for bringing stability and sanity to the national team?
You know that I’ve never been an apostle of foreign coaches. I kicked against hiring a foreign coach because I believe we have quality local coaches who can do better. I hold this view because most times, the NFF go for unknown quantities and appoint them national coaches because of what they will gain in return. They can never go for a world class coach who will not be ready to dance to their tune. Having said this, I must give kudos to the Franco- German tactician for the good results he has posted so far but I will not pass the final judgment until after the Nations Cup in Egypt this summer.
Looking at the country’s ex- internationals, how would you like the football house to rehabilitate them considering the fact that many of them are now sick with some living in penury?
It’ s unfortunate that in Nigeria there is no good welfare package for ex- internationals and this is because those running our football are pretenders who do not have anything to contribute to the game.
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At times when I see some of my colleagues, I ask myself whether it is a crime serving one’s fatherland. Some of them are sick and cannot not pay their hospital bills while others are at the mercy of their landlords. I am looking forward to such a time when former players will take over the administration of football in the country as it is in other climes so that the issue of welfare will be seriously addressed.
I also want to advise young players to always combine football with education so as to have something to fall back on when they retire from the round leather game. I keep on telling people that if not for late Chief M. K. O Abiola that gave me scholarship to study abroad, maybe I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I’ve achieved today. I also thank God that most of my team mates went to school and are all doing well. People like Manu Garba, Paul Okoku, Dehinde Akinlotan, Femi and Segun Olukanmi amongst others are all doing well abroad.
What is your take in the believe of many Nigerians that the division in players union is a contributory factor to their neglect?
You’re quite right, but when you look at it critically, you will discover that it is the NFF that is causing the division because they feel comfortable when the union is in disarray knowing that a more united players union will mount pressure on them or question some of their unpopular decisions. Having said this, I look forward to a day when players will realise their mistakes, bury the sword and come out more united to challenge the status quo.
Casting your mind back to 1983 when you featured in FIFA U-20 World Cup, what are some of the memories you remember?
Well, it was a memorable tournament. You know that as at that time, we were the first team to represent Nigeria at any FIFA organized World Cup and many of us were traveling outside the continent for the first time. We prepared very well under the watchful eyes of late Coach Chris Udemezue and the team comprising of my humble self and others like; Wilfred Agbonavbare, Chibuzor Ehilegbu, Femi Olukanmi, Paul Okoku, Dahiru Saudi, Yisa Shofoluwe, Christopher Anigala, Alphonsus Akhahan, Dehinde Akinlotan, Tarila Okoronwata, Amaechi Oti, Humphrey Edobor, Wahab Adesina, Benson Edama, Yemi Adefranjo and Patrick Udoh gave a good account of ourselves and I will live with the memories for ever.
Do you have any regret playing for Nigeria?
I must confess to you that I regret playing for Nigeria and will not allow any of my children play for the country. I say this because after we came back from the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Mexico where we played three matches, defeating the former Soviet Union 1-0 , losing to Brazil 0-3 before playing a goalless draw with Netherlands, we were promised a lot of things but more than 30 years after, none of those promises have been fulfilled.
