Two matches into the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup, the Flying Eagles of Nigeria had banged in ten goals against Guatemala and Croatia respectively.

The Kenya Airways flight that took me to Kinshasha en route Nairobi also had on board, Alhassan Yakmut, Deputy Director in the National Sports Commission, part of a Nigerian team to Maputo, for a pre All Africa Games meeting.

Whenever a new minister is appointed to man sports, we the stakeholders ( That word again ) have developed the bad habit of criticising government for what is often considered an uninformed decision, a bad pick.

As you are reading this, I am transiting in Cairo.
I left Algiers yesterday, after Coordinating the CAF Champions League match between Mouloudia d’Alger and Esperance of Tunisia.

I remember that immediately after the Kaduna festival, I wrote on the madness that trails the publication of medals tables.

Nigeria is in the dock. Brought to the court of public opinion on the believed “premature ouster” of the Falcons from the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Nigeria is in the dock. Brought to the court of public opinion on the believed “premature ouster” of the Falcons from the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The current issue of the authoritative soccer magazine, 442, Nigeria provides me the subject for my column today.

For those Nigerians whose sports lifes revolve round the European leagues, the off season period is often a nightmare that refuses to go away till early August.

In 2009, there was a certain report that rated the Nigeria Premier League as the best in Africa.This raised a lot of eye brows, especially from those Nigerians whose assessment of the league can only be measured by the number of its players in the national team, the Super Eagles.

Because I believe and strongly too, that we are not doing enough to project our youth on world stage, I want to write this week on some events of last week that touched my sports heart.

I was one of those who protested the timing of the Argentina friendly. I said it was good but coming so close to the all important Nations Cup qualifier against Ethiopia was not good enough.

Twenty four hours after a new government has been installed, I feel it is only proper that I should address an issue which I have chosen to entitle ‘Re-laying the foundation of our sports’.

I imagine a ship on the high seas. So far it is plain sailing. No problem whatsoever and those on board decide to take it easy.

For two weeks running I have devoted my column to the need to give some attention to other sports.

I do not believe last week’s article on the silence of other sports in the country was an attack.