Unlike other teams living up to expectation, Nigerian U-23 team, popularly known as the Dream Team V, have failed to live up to their name. The team kick started the final leg of qualifiers for the London 2012 Olympic on November 26, on a bad note.The coach Austine Eguavoen-led team lost the first and second matches by 1-0 and 1-2 to host, Morocco and Senegal respectively. The team thumped Algeria 4-1 in the last group game but it was not enough to turn the table around.Not many would have believed what happened in Morocco as reports from the North Africa country revealed that Nigeria has the best team in the ongoing tournament. The defeat of Algeria shows the team woke up late from slumber.Soccer analysts including the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF were optimistic that the Dream Team V would pick one of the four tickets for the Olympics but to everyone’s shock, the opposite was the case.Due to the ouster of the Super Eagles from the 2012 African Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, the NFF provided the Dream Team V with so much financial, moral and technical support to lift their game and play out their hearts but every step made towards this was like water poured on stone. Nigeria Premier League, NPL top scorer who was also in the team, Jude Aneke, who set an all-time record of 20 goals, had predicted victory for the team even before their first match but the North Africans ran away with a lone goal victory courtesy of a penalty converted in the 27th minute by Barrada Abdelaziz after Emmanuel Anyanwu was judged to have rough tackled Morocco’s Bidaoui Soufiane.Assistant coach, Stanley Eguma also assured that the Dream Team V would not disappoint Nigerians before their matches. “We have prepared well for this tournament and cannot afford to let Nigerians down. We are aware that this team is the last hope for Nigeria to feature at international football next year since all the other national teams failed to qualify for the various competitions they participated in. I am assuring Nigerians that we shall return with a ticket for the London 2012 Olympics.”In the meantime, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF has expressed disappointment and utter dismay at the performance of the Under-23 National Team. Speaking in Abuja after the loss to Senegal, NFF general secretary, Musa Amadu said there was nothing the technical crew of the team asked for that the NFF did not provide.“We are shocked at the team’s poor outing in the first two matches. Yes, it is true that if the results of the last two matches go our way, we will still qualify for the semi finals and be able to fight for one of the three automatic places at the men’s football tournament of the London 2012 Olympics. But we are dismayed by the team’s performance in the first two matches and we cannot hide it.” Amadu also outlined that the team never lacked anything all through the qualifying series, especially against Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania. He claimed that the team had several phases of camping and training programmes, including a three-week stay in Ibadan, Oyo State.  Amadu did not hide his displeasure for the team performance.Investigation gathered revealed that the NFF sent the head coach, Eguavoen and technical committee chairman, Barrister Chris Green to Europe to request for the release of foreign-based players, sought and paid for a training camp in Ghana where the team spent 10 days and played a number of friendly matches, and ensured the team travelled early to Morocco to acclimatise to the weather.However, head coach, Austin Eguavoen had blamed his side’s losses to the clubs failure to release players to him and also the players’ failure to play according to instructions. He also attributed the failure of clubs to release their players for the tournament. He however accepted the responsibility for the failure of the team.There is no doubt that the presence of players like team captain, Haruna Lukman, Nnamdi Oduamadi, Joel Obi, Ahmed Musa, Rabiu Ibrahim, Nosa Igiebor, Odion Ighalo, Uche Nwofor and Ekigho Ehiosun would have made a difference. Players expected to shine in the Nigerian team but failed to live up to expectations are Sheffield United of England gangling forward, Danny Uchechi, Ukraine-based Michael Babatunde and the quartet of Osas Okoro, Gbolahon Salami, Ayo Saka and Jude Aneke, who ply their trade in the Nigerian League with Heartland FC of Owerri, Shooting Stars of Ibadan, Ocean Boys of Brass and Kaduna United FC respectively.The presence of the Super Eagles head coach, Stephen Keshi in Morocco did not make any difference. Keshi was there in an advisory capacity. It was also a chance for the players to put in extra effort to get called into the senior team.Analysts have however questioned the choice of the team’s camp in Ghana. It was gathered that the gold coast is presently hot hence the team had to cope with an unfriendly weather in Morocco. As at press time, Nigeria was yet to face Algeria for their final group match in Marakesh. For the team to make the semi-finals of the U-23 championship they must beat Algeria by at least two un-replied goals and hope that Morocco beats Senegal by the same margin. Nigerians have not forgotten the ouster of the Super Eagles from next year’s Africa Cup of Nations and Eguavoen was wise to make his decision. Nigerians had also blamed him for Eagles failure to qualify for the Nations cup and the immediate response to the accusation was his timely resignation. Even with his resignation as Dream Team V coach, Eguavoen will definitely have explanations to give as to why the Olympic ticket eluded the country. Meanwhile, NFF board member and chairman of chairmen, Effiong Johnson has condemned the team and the pattern of play describing the Eguavoen selected players as the worst in the history of Olympic teams. He had earlier advocated for Eguavoen’s sack for letting the country down. “The federation gave him all the needed support and assistance to succeed. The players were without tactics and they are not different from the boys who play on the street in Nigeria.”Johnson disclosed that Nigeria will no longer hire an indigenous coach for the U-23 team for 2016 Olympic Games as a foreign coach would be employed to take charge for the team. Bonfere Jo, a Dutch guided the Dream Team 1 to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where they won the first ever gold in the male football event for Nigeria and Africa. A local coach, Samson Siasia nearly equalled his record as Dream Team IV lost to Argentina in the final of the male football event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Johnson is indirectly calling for the development of grassroots football which has become moribund in the country. But Prince Daniel Kanu, founder and chairman of Daniel Kanu Youth Foundation is determined to ensure Nigeria bounces back to the top. Kanu has vowed to revive youth football through the sponsorship of the FCT FA football competition.A typical example of Kanu’s idea was a football competition which saw TEAP FC beat Alive Shooters by a lone goal last month to emerge champions of the 2011 FCT FA football league competition sponsored by the Daniel Kanu Youth Foundation. According to Kanu, the competition provides a breeding ground for new talents that will represent Nigeria both at national and international competitions. He also canvassed for youth development via sports competition, while advising the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, to look inward for locally grown players who have the interest of the country at heart rather than hoping on foreign based players who put the interest of their clubs above national assignment.  

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