A popular African proverb says that ‘One whose house is on fire does not hunt rats’.

And the bible tells us that wisdom is profitable to direct. Connecting it to the proverb, you don’t leave your burning house to chase rats but use wisdom to put out the fire first so that you don’t become homeless.

By these two paragraphs above, it is very safe to say that the administrators on whose shoulders the management of the Super Eagles are completely clueless. They have put the quali- fication of the Super Eagles for the 2026 World Cup in jeop- ardy and now setting an agenda to distract Nigerians from their ineptitude.

It is no longer news that Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro was almost sacked by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF at a point because Nigerians were not satisfied with the results he posted towards the last AFCON which held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

They wanted him replaced but of course those who were instrumental to his employment could have begged for him to be given a second chance but on a reduced salary.

Tell me, which foreign coach worth his onion would accept a pay cut to remain on a job? And the mandate given Peseiro by the NFF, who were equally not too sure of the quality of team they were handing over to him, was not to even get to the AFCON final how much more winning it, but to get to the semi finals.

Peseiro led the team to the AFCON final but his tactics in that match, like in previous other matches in the competition, were heart-rendingtosaytheleast.Yesitcausedthedeathsof a couple of Nigerian fans.

His tactics were not better than that of his predecessor, Gernot Rohr who was sacked because Nigerians equally complained thattheSuper Eagleslosttheflairtheywereknownforunder him. Surprisingly, NFF who had said win or lose, Peseiro’s contract would not be renewed after the AFCON was asked to stay put.

With a bragging right now, more so after he was honoured, alongside his players, by President Bola Tinubu for winning a ‘golden’ silver, the first time in the country’s history that such was happening, wanted an increment in salary.

Even veteran, Chief Segun Odegbami was shocked. Writing in his Column in Saturday Vanguard penultimate week, ‘Ni- gerian football at crossroads’, he expressed surprise that a silver-winning team could be lavished with “rewards and awards unheard of in the history of football in the world”.

Of course the NFF couldn’t renew Peseiro’s contract because he now saw himself as a great achiever with the presidential reward and honour and wanted a bigger pie which the NFF saw as too herculean to bake.

They wanted another foreign coach, at least as recommended by their technical committee. But when told by the govern- ment that it won’t have a hand in the coach’s salary, they looked for an escape route.

Like we were told, two Nigerians, Emmanuel Amuneke and Daniel Amokachi were among the coaches shortlisted to suc- ceed Peseiro. They looked beyond both players for obvious reason, their unpredictability to accept to be pushed around.

So Finidi George, who was assistant to Peseiro and who they understand better to never hurt a fly, was chosen.

After only two matches in-charge, a draw against South Africa and a loss, shockingly to neighbouring Benin Republic, handled by Rohr who was considered not good enough again for the Super Eagles, Finidi was seen as unfit to lead the team again.

TheNFF becameapprehensive,smellingnonqualification for the 2026 World Cup and pressed the panic button after the sports minister, John Enoh summoned them to explain the poor performance against South Africa and Benin Republic.

And here is the story why I say ‘Clueless, an understatement’ for the present NFF Board headed by Ibrahim Gusau.

After Peseiro left. Finidi was asked to take charge tempo- rary. Under that short time, he presided over two friendly matches in Morocco against Ghana and Mali. He beat Ghana and lost to Mali.

It was revealed that he had a spat with some players over the way he handled affairs there. And this couldn’t have gone un- noticed by the NFF. Yet nothing was done.

However, after the two unimpressive World Cup qualifiers in Uyo and Abidjan, the same NFF found their voice after Finidi told the minister at their meeting what he thought caused

the shambolic performances.

The NFF felt that Finidi reported them to the minister that they protectsome’bigboys’intheteamwhowerenotcommit- ted and also for not mobilising support for the Super Eagles in Abidjan against Benin Republic.

Arising from that meeting, the NFF Board went behind to announce that a foreign coach would be appointed to boss Finidi, indirectly demoting him, to spite him of course.

Victor Osimhen ranted on social media calling Finidi names for allegedly citing him as one of the big players becoming uncontrollable, while the NFF embarrassed him with the an- nouncement of a foreign coach coming to the Super Eagles.

The same NFF who didn’t wade into the problem of players shunning Finidi in Morocco, didn’t call Osimhen to order over his unnecessary social media rant, suddenly rose to deny a story that it was planning to sanction the Napoli player. Who is fooling who?

The same clueless NFF who, rather than think of how to salvage the fading hope for a World Cup ticket, and are now chasing shadows.

They are looking for a foreign coach they had said they don’t have money to pay. Now Rohr who they rejected is having the last laugh. He has told them that it will be a shame if the Super Eagles fail to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.