Why I love the English Premier League

 There are many exciting football leagues in Europe. And there is an ongoing argument about which one is the best.

Some would swear by the Spanish La Liga but others feel it’s a two-horse race between Real Madrid and Barcelona – in spite of the fact that Atletico Madrid won the league in the 2013-2014 season.

In neighbouring Portugal we only hear about leading clubs Porto and Benfica when it’s time for the UEFA Champions League.

Bayern Munich has been running away with the German Bundesliga title for years. Whenever Borussia Dortmund puts up a serious challenge, Bayern would decimate Dortmund by buying their best players, bringing them back to earth with a resounding thump.

In Italy football is in a mess. AC Milan and Inter, once among the continent’s elite, have lost their mojo, leaving only Juventus to ride on unchallenged.

How about France where no one can withstand the imperious Paris Saint Germain? Or Holland, the home of total football, where the game seems to be dying?

But in the English Premier League football is growing bigger everyday. Money is pouring in so even the relegation-threatened teams can attract not just top players but also big-name managers.

Dick Advocaat, former coach of Holland, South Korea, Belgium and Russia, moved to Sunderland – then jumped ship after saving them from relegation. Champions League winner Rafa Benitez joined Newcastle from Real Madrid and now Walter Mazzarri, who has coached Inter Milan and Napoli, has been made Watford manager.

There is genuine competition and a team facing relegation can, on a good day, thrash the team on top of the league table. The football between the lower sides may not be pretty but it is played with total commitment and passion.

But the greatest reason I love the Premier League is the way the people treat their players – both current and retired.

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona, who played 45 times for France, said he would be cheering England and not his native France at Euro 2016.

“I don’t care at all about France,” he told The Guardian. “In terms of football, I am an Englishman. I have in my veins the English blue blood.”

In Arsenal, the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires are revered even more than they are in their home countries. Arsenal still remembers and celebrates Nwankwo Kano’s birthday even though he left 11 years ago. He is hardly remembered at Ajax of Amsterdam where he – along with Finidi George – won the Champions League.

Papilo – as Kanu is fondly called – is a former captain of the Super Eagles, but does the Nigerian Football Federation remember his birthday? I doubt it.

Jay-Jay Okocha remains a household name in England even though he went there in the twilight of his career. He played for lowly Bolton Wanderers but his silky skills held the entire country spellbound. In Bolton Okocha was described as being “so good that they named him twice.” 

In his heyday he played for Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt, PSG in France and Fenerbahce of Turkey but you would be forgiven if you forget that he ever displayed his talents in these countries. Nobody remembers him there. But in England he is a legend.

In terms of skill, no player in England comes close to Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi yet when any player does well the fans treat him like royalty. Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Daniel Amokachi left Nigeria without nicknames but in England they became “The Yak” and “The Bull” respectively. Obafemi Martins was tagged “Obagoal” – king of goals.

Jose Mourinho won the Champions League with Porto in his native Portugal but it was in England that he became “the Special One.” And did you see the monumental fawning over Jurgen Klupp when he became Liverpool manager? You would think God had just stepped into Anfield!

Unlike many other European leagues, there is zero tolerance for racism and any other form of hooliganism in England. Any player or fan that runs foul of the rule is made to face the full brunt of the law. No pussyfooting. No kid gloves.

Players of African descent have suffered a lot of racist abuse in countries like Italy and Spain without the authorities doing much about it. The English would have none of that. Try it and you pay a heavy price. Just ask Luis Suarez or John Terry.

The English are great lovers of history. TV commentators always remind you of incidents that happened decades ago. When Crystal Palace’s Alan Pardew faced Bolton boss Terry McDermott, it was revealed that Pardew was the one who had employed McDermott several years ago. Now they are on opposing benches, trying to outdo each other. How about disclosing that Arsenal starlet Gideon Zelalem was not even born when Arsene Wenger took over as manager of the Gunners?

They never cease to remind people that Arsenal’s teenage prodigy Alex Iwobi is Okocha’s nephew. When the teenage sensation scored his first premier league against Everton, the Daily Mail correspondent quipped, “His uncle would be proud.” The history and anecdotes add in no small measure to make the game a lot more exciting.

And now some of the world’s best managers are going to be clashing every week in England. Imagine Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte joining Mauricio Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp and wily old Arsene Wenger to try and wrest the league title from hitherto unfancied Claudio Ranieri. No football league has ever paraded this many world-class managers at the same time.

Come August, it’s game on!

Photo credit: Daily Mail

Time for our political leaders to trust the people

George Akume

Nigeria’s political leaders believe they know it all, especially when it comes to who succeeds them in office.

Because they believe they can control the future, they decide to play God. They take it upon themselves to decide who is worthy to step into their shoes.

Such leaders don’t care about the will of the people. They are so disrespectful of the peoples’ wishes that they seldom allow the people to vote in who they like. Instead, they try their best – by hook or by crook – to ensure that their own candidates carry the day, crushing the people’s wishes.

Upon completion of their eight-year tenure, practically every state governor tries to handpick his successor – with disastrous consequences most times. Yet they persist in this anti-democratic practice.

Senator George Akume, former governor of Benue State, says he regrets handing over to Gabriel Suswam, who is facing charges of corrupt practices while in office.

Akume, who was governor between 1999 and 2007, admits that he “personally insisted that Suswam was made governor of Benue,” against the wishes of the people.

“Of course I didn’t know he would become highly criminal and swindle the entire state funds. The whole state is broke and this was caused by Suswam’s siphoning,” Akume stated in righteous indignation.

When he “personally insisted” on making Suswam governor, did Akume break any laws? Did he manipulate the electoral process even when he knew the people of Benue didn’t want Suswam? Your guess is as good as mine.

Outgoing Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole says he is interested in who succeeds him because he has “seen the damage which the wrong driver can do to our collective vehicle.”

That’s always the excuse that is given to bully the people into “accepting” the leader’s choice. It’s the same excuse President Obasanjo gave us when he practically forced Umaru Musa Yar’Adua down everyone’s throats.

Even though Nigerians warned him about Yar’Adua’s failing health, OBJ went ahead with his plan. He spectacularly made a phone call during a PDP campaign rally to the presidential candidate who was receiving treatment in a hospital abroad. The call was to prove that Yar’Adua was not dead, as it was being rumoured at the time.

“Umaru, are you dead?” he famously asked as he tried to show he knew more than everyone.

After he demonstrated that Yar’Adua was still alive, he forced the ailing Katsina State governor on Nigerians. Two years later, Yar’Adua was dead.

After much wrangling, Yar’Adua’s deputy, Goodluck Jonathan succeeded him. Soon after, OBJ turned against his former protégée and even campaigned against him in the 2015 elections.

When he was delivering a speech to some university students last year, OBJ tongue-lashed Jonathan, claiming he did not perform well as president. The students reminded him that he forced Jonathan on the country so he should bear part of the blame, if there was any.

In his characteristic fashion, OBJ shrugged off any responsibility. Without blinking an eye, he told the students that Nigerians were to blame because they were the ones who voted for Jonathan!

Why do our leaders always think they know better than the people? Democracy is supposed to be about the choice of the people but our political masters, due to their parochial interests, love to hijack the political process to shove their friends, family members and lackeys down our throats.

Our leaders have turned out to be the biggest obstacles to democracy. They manipulate the electoral process to ensure their preferred candidates get elected. In saner climes this would be seen as a crime but in Nigeria it is just part of our unique “political calculations.”

And because the “winners” of these “elections” were not the people’s choice, they feel no compulsion to serve the people. Instead they try their best to serve their godfathers. The problems start when they can no longer serve their masters’ interests, preferring to serve only themselves.

Nigerians are very intelligent people. They know who will best serve their interests and the kingmakers need to allow people to make their choice. The impunity of shoving candidates down the peoples’ throats has got to stop if our democracy must grow.

picture credit: Wikipedia

Let’s celebrate Leicester and leave Wenger alone for now

Wenger

When the English press grab hold of an idea they are like the bulldog. They never let go.

Leicester City's success is an incredible achievement but the press still found a way to turn their sights on the man they love to ridicule – Arsenal's Arsene Wenger. As far as they are concerned, this was Wenger’s last chance to win the Premier League – and he blew it.

How can it possibly be anyone’s last chance? The odds of Leicester City winning the league were 5000-1. Also, Claudio Ranieri has just won his first league title in his 28 years as a coach. And he had coached far more illustrious sides than Leicester.

The list includes Chelsea, Juventus, Inter Milan, Roma and Atletico Madrid. No one believed he could win anything with Leicester but today he is champion of England.

Wenger is the architect of his own misfortune. When he first arrived England he won trophies. His team played the most attractive football. He even ended an entire season unbeaten in the league, an achievement that will be extremely hard to match.

Then came the drought. As the profile of Chelsea and later Manchester City rose, Arsenal's decreased. Suddenly, fourth position became the new trophy for Arsenal and the professor hasn’t come close to winning the league in the last 12 years.

Each time Arsenal finish behind the champions, the press vilify him. Now the questions have snowballed and even some of Wenger's greatest supporters are no longer comfortable with the Frenchman.

It is true that Wenger has failed. However, he is not the only manager who bears the brunt of Leicester's heart-warming success. There are 20 teams in the Premier League and each one played the same number of games and faced the same opponents twice. So each team had an equal chance to do what Leicester has done.

Going by Leicester's standards, every other team has underachieved. If one of the big clubs had won the league, not much would have changed. But now even the "smaller" clubs know they have blown a spectacular chance of making history.

As the Foxes lift the trophy, three other teams will be playing in the championship next season. One team – Aston Villa – have already recorded monumental failure. Though they are one of the biggest clubs in England, they have been relegated. Two more big clubs will follow by the end of the season. None of them have received the stick as much as Wenger.

The big boys will wonder what hit them.  Last season’s champions Chelsea imploded in a bizarre fashion. Manchester City, which everyone had tipped to succeed Chelsea after winning their first five games without conceding a single goal, wilted like a leaf under a scorching sun. Manchester United spent over 250 million pounds on star players, but they couldn't score goals and had to depend on 18-year-old Marcus Rashford to salvage their season. Liverpool flattered to deceive two seasons ago, but became so abysmal they sacked manager Brendan Rogers before December. His replacement, Jurgen Klopp, in spite of his impeccable credentials, couldn't rise above mid table.

And of course Spurs, arguably the most exciting team in the league this season, gave Leicester a run for their money, but somehow faltered at home against West Brom when it mattered most.

None of these perennial contenders even came close to winning the league. Leicester, whose only ambition was to escape the drop, won it in spectacular fashion. Their story still seems like a work of fiction. They spent just 20 million pounds in the transfer window, and their wage bill is a third of Chelsea’s. So if Leicester could do it, why not Everton, or West Ham, or Sunderland, or Newcastle, or Crystal Palace? None of these teams have won the league – or any trophy – in recent memory. Yet the media never points fingers at them.

So why Wenger? Is it because the French tactician has been in the saddle for so long at Arsenal? No one calls for Alan Pardew's head even though Palace have won just one Premier League game this calendar year, after having a decent run at the first half of the season.

Every media pundit talks about how difficult it is to beat Stoke, the poster team of England's physicality. Yet they always remain mid-table. No eyebrows are raised at why a hard-to-beat team garners such few points every season.

Leicester has shown that nothing is impossible. But such fairy tales happen once in a lifetime. It may be decades before another unfancied team like Leicester wins the league. So it is an opportunity that everyone has missed.

Let's just celebrate Leicester’s success and leave the “losers” – and Wenger – to lick their wounds and wonder at what might have been.

Photo courtesy: National Daily

Claudio Ranieri’s fairy tale ride

Claudio Ranieri

“Most people fail in life not because they aim too high and miss, but because they aim too low and hit.” – Les Brown, American motivational speaker and author.

Sometimes life doesn't follow a script. And apparently Claudio Ranieri, Leicester City boss, didn’t bother to read Brown’s oft-quoted phrase.

When he took over the Foxes in July last year, Ranieri’s brief was to help the team avoid relegation. And even that task seemed too onerous for him. Bookmakers said he was one of the favourites to be sacked.

Former Leicester striker and hometown hero Gary Lineker derided the appointment, calling it an “uninspiring choice.” Yet the man, unperturbed, got down to work.

Under Ranieri’s tutelage, the Foxes outfoxed everyone, and today they are champions of England, their first trophy in their 132-year history. It is also the first time Ranieri has won a major trophy in his 30 years as a coach.

When it's your time, it's your time. The 64-year-old Italian had managed illustrious teams such as Chelsea, Juventus, Inter Milan, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Monaco, among others. Yet he never won a league title. Then he came to unfancied Leicester City that most pundits had predicted would be relegated –and won the Premiership, the toughest league in Europe!

When he first arrived, Ranieri was so concerned about the team leaking goals that he promised the players pizza if they kept a clean sheet. It was not until the end of October (after 12 attempts) that the players were finally able to get their pizza. The manager took them to a local eatery – but they had to roll up their sleeves and make them.

The wily Italian used the occasion as a part of team bonding. And by the second half of the season he had built a defence that became near impregnable.

What is the magic of Ranieri's success? Hard work, vision, or just plain luck? Whatever it is the amiable manager has written his name in gold in the unlikeliest of places. What he couldn't do when he managed perennial winners, he did with a team whose only ambition was to avoid relegation. So much for having low expectations.

Ranieri threw the form books out of the window. He used the “archaic” 4-4-2 system to great effect. His team conceded possession to opponents all the time and he didn’t have any star names.

Instead the team boasts of players nobody wanted. Danny Drinkwater, the team’s midfield maestro, was released by Manchester United years ago. Marc Albrighton was released by Aston Villa in 2014, Robert Huth was surplus to requirements at Stoke and Nathan Dyer is on loan from Swansea.

Jamie Vardy who is now 29, was not considered a good striker, but he ended up breaking the Premier League record for most consecutive goals (11). He also became the first Leicester City player to score 20 goals in one season since Gary Lineker in the 1980s.

Ranieri’s success is the stuff of fairy tales. Back in 2004 Roman Abramovich sacked him as Chelsea boss and replaced him with Jose Mourinho. He got a revenge of sorts 11 years later when Mourinho was sacked after losing to Ranieri’s Leicester. Then Leicester won the league title without kicking a ball. Chelsea did the job for them by playing a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspurs at Stamford Bridge. And he won the title on the birthday of his 94-year-old mother!

If this were a screenplay, the screenwriter wouldn’t have done a better job. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Ranieri has proved that no one can predict the future. Yet pundits have started predicting that Leicester will find it hard to replicate their success. The same pundits who put the odds of Leicester winning the league at 5000-1.

Some people never learn.

Photo credit: Daily Mail