Yayin da Nigeria ke fara kamfen nata na neman cancantar Africa Cup of Nations 2027, ɗaya daga cikin tsoffin 'yan wasan da aka fi yabawa a ƙasar ya ba da hukunci a bayyane game da halin ƙwallon ƙafa: wannan ita ce mafi ƙasƙancin da ƙasar ta taɓa faɗawa.

Segun Odegbami, wanda ya taimaka wa Nigeria cin gasar ta nahiyar ta farko lokacin da suka karɓi bakuncin Africa Cup of Nations a 1980, ya shaida wa BBC Sport Africa cewa ƙasar tana cikin "mafi munin lokaci" a tarihin ƙwallon ƙafarta.

"Ba a taɓa yin haka a tarihinmu gaba ɗaya da ba mu cancanci Kofin Duniya ba," in ji ɗan shekaru 74. "Yaranmu matan, waɗanda suke zakarun Afirka, sun kasa lashe gasar da ta kasance hannunsu. Dukkan ƙungiyoyinmu na matasa ba sa aiki da kyau. Gasar gida ta ƙasa ba ta kawo kuɗi. Wani abu yana faruwa ba daidai ba tabbas."

Jerin gazawa

A cikin shekara guda da ta wuce, duka Super Eagles da Super Falcons sun gaza cancanci zuwa Kofofinsu na FIFA Kofin Duniya — bugu biyu ba tare da misali ba a tarihin ƙwallon ƙafa na Nigeria. Sakamako mara gamsarwa a matakin matasa da gasar ƙungiyoyin Afirka ta ƙara tsananta wannan rikici, ko da yake ƙungiyar matan ƙarƙashin shekaru 20 ta kai kwata-fainal na Kofin Duniya na Mata kwanan nan.

Odegbami ya kira wannan ragewa a matsayin "canji na tectonic" ga ɗaya daga cikin manyan ƙarfafan gargajiya na nahiyar, yana kuma ɗora alhakin ga jerin masu gudanarwa waɗanda, a ra'ayinsa, ba su ajiye "farkon XI" a gudanarwa ba.

Canje-canje masu faɗi a NFF

Rikicin ya riga ya tilastawa Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yin canje-canje masu muhimmanci. Shugaba Ibrahim Gusau, babban sakatare Mohammed Sanusi, da ƴan membobin kwamitin zartarwa sun yi murabus watan da ya wuce a tsakiyar matsin lamba mai girma na jama'a. An nada Emmanuel Ikpeme a matsayin babban sakatare na wucin gadi, tare da Ademola Olajire a matsayin mataimakin babban sakatare na wucin gadi.

Zaɓen NFF, wanda aka tsara shi asali don ranar 27 ga Satumba, an dakatar da shi. Wakiltar hadin gwiwar FIFA da Confederation of African Football (CAF) suna tattaunawa da Hukumar Wasannin Ƙasa ta Nigeria game da tsarin gaba na ƙungiyar.

Shugaba Bola Tinubu a bainar jama'a ya nemi a yi gyare-gyare, yana ambaton abin da ya kira "gazawa mai maimaituwa." Odegbami ya maraba da wannan matsin lamba na siyasa, yana cewa: "Kukan Nijeriyawa ya kasance cikakke. Komai ya haɗu kamar wani jigsaw puzzle kuma yanzu muna aiki don samar da tsarin da zai rufe kowane fanni na haɓaka ƙwallon ƙafar mu."

Dan jarida mai rubutun wasanni Fisayo Dairo ya goyi bayan wannan ra'ayi, yana jayayya cewa gyara na gaske dole ne ya wuce kawai canza fuskokin a saman. Ya shaida wa BBC Sport Africa: "Gyara ya kamata ya zama kafa tsari daidai da tsari da ƙwallon ƙafar mu zai iya ci gaba a ciki. Duniyar kasuwanci dole ne ta wakilce ta gaba ɗaya domin gudanarwa ta iya samar da kuɗi."

Falsafa da ta ɓace

An san shi da laƙabi 'Mathematical' saboda daidaitonsa da ƙwallon, Odegbami ya kasance wani ɓangare na ƙungiyar Super Eagles da ta doke Algeria da 3-0 a wasan karshe na Africa Cup of Nations 1980 a Lagos — wani lokaci da ya bayyana shi da cewa "ba za a iya bayyana shi ba." Nigeria ta sake ɗaga trophea a 1994 da 2013, ta kai wasan karshe a gasar 2023, kuma ta kasance ta uku a gasar 2019 da ta bana a Morocco.

Duk da haka, Odegbami yana da yakinin cewa ƙasar ta kasance ba tare da bayyananniyar asalin ƙwallon ƙafa ba na ƙarnuka da yawa. "Menene hanyar horarwa? Menene falsafar ƙwallon ƙafar mu? Menene al'adarmu da salon mu?" ya tambayi.

Filayen da suka rushe, gado da ya ɓace

Rushewar kayan aiki yana a zuciyar rikicin. Odegbami ya nuna baƙin ciki kan rushewar filayen wasa waɗanda suka sa Nigeria ta zama mai alfahari mai masaukin baki — a cikinsu National Stadium a Surulere, Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo Stadium a Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello Stadium a Kaduna, da UJ Esuene Stadium a Calabar.

"Ina kuka idan na yi tunani game da barnar da suka yi — kayan aikin da muke da su, abubuwan tarihi da suka kasance wuraren ƙwallon ƙafa a wannan ƙasa," ya ce. "Ko da ya kasance da gangan ko jahilci, sun yi lalacewar da ba za a iya gyara ba ga abin da ya kasance gado na Nigeria."

Bambancin da sauran ƙasashen Afirka yana a fili. Senegal za ta karɓi bakuncin Wasannin Olympics na Matasa watan mai zuwa; Morocco za ta raba bakuncin Kofin Duniya na FIFA 2030 tare da Spain da Portugal; South Africa, Zimbabwe, da Namibia suna shirya Kofin Duniya na Kuriket na Maza na shekara mai zuwa; kuma Kenya za ta karɓi bakuncin Gasar Wasannin Duniya na Tsere da Tsalle 2029.

Eagles sun fara kamfen na neman cancantar

A kan wannan fuskantarwa mai wahala, Super Eagles za su fara kamfen neman cancantar Africa Cup of Nations 2027 da Madagascar a Godswill Akpabio Stadium a Uyo ranar Juma'a da karfe 16:00 GMT, kafin su tafi Guinea-Bissau a ranar 29 ga Satumba. Victor Osimhen, tsohon wanda ya lashe kyautar Dan wasa mafi kyau na Afirka, an cire shi daga jerin ɗan wasan mai horar da Eric Chelle sakamakon rauni.