NFA's bungling merry-go-round

Is there some curse on whoever and whichever group moves into the Glass House that they must lose all sense of logical reasoning?

I am sitting in Abuja and being a very interested spectator in the comedy of errors that is the process of appointing a new coach for the Super Eagles.

Okay, scratch that. Its a new assistant coach for the Super Eagles. No, I meant to say, just coaches for the national team.

Are you as confused as I am?

Well, thats exactly how confused the folks trying to appoint somebody, anybody for the national team are.

The exercise which took place on Wednesday was ostensibly to select a replacement for Berti Vogts. But constrained by a contract they signed (I will charitably assume they did so blindfolded--nothing else explains it) with the German, the NFA have got themselves tied up in knots.

On Wednesday, Committee chairman Taiwo Ogunjobi was quoted as saying that they were only going to appoint assistant coaches.

This, inspite of Sunday Oliseh making it clear he had applied for the top job and nothing less. Same with Stephen Keshi.

So what is the problem really.

It all boils down to a comprehension deficit from the Glass House. Either that, or the people were in so much of a hurry to pander to the wishes of the masses, they failed to sit down and look at the document they signed in the first place.

By the way, these are the same people who harp on about following 'due process'.

Here are the REAL FACTS of this whole sorry situation.

1. The NFA held a series of meetings in Ghana prior to and after the 2-1 quarterfinal loss.

2. At the meetings prior to the QF, there was a consensus that Vogts was not the man to take Nigeria to the 2010 World Cup

3. Consequently, it was decided that Vogts will be asked to go, especially if he failed to make the semifinals. A consensus was also reached that th enext coach would be local.

4. After the defeat in Ghana, the NFA were poised to announce Vogts' dismissal (without recourse to his contract), but were advised, with barely an hour to spare, that the contract stipulated a 30-day notice in the event of dismissal.

5. The NFA subsequently did an about-turn at the world press conference where his dismissal was to be announced.

6. On arrival in Nigeria, the Sports Minister asked the NFA to hold on before sending the German his notice.

7. After holding on for a while, the FA then sent out the notice.

8. After receiving the notice, Vogts lawyer came out with a statement saying that ' because of the behaviour of the NFA during and after the Nations Cup, further co-operation with the NFA was impossible.'

9. Vogts lawyers then followed this up with a letter to the Nigeria Sports Commission (NSC) acknowledging the notice sent to him.

10. Somehow, this acknowledgement letter was misconstrued as a 'resignation letter'. And Vogts' statement to the international media was interpreted as a breach of the confidentiality clause in his contract, even though he made no reference to the letter.

11. Meanwhile, up until the NFA board meeting on Thursday, most NFA board members had not seen the purported resignation letter.

12. Yet, the recruitment exercise for a new coach was initiated on the basis of the fact that Vogts had resigned.

13. When it dawned on the NFA that they were stepping on quicksand by starting a recruitment process when the 30-day notice was yet to expire, Ogunjobi came up with that statement of 'interviewing assistant coaches'

14. By Thursday morning, prior to the board meeting, the tune had changed. Now they were just interviewing coaches for the national teams. Comical.

But what was the hurry? What stopped the FA from waiting until the 30-day notice had expired?

In light of our catastrophic failures in the past, why not hand over the process over to a reputable consulting agency?

Now, our 'wise men' once again find themselves in a quagmire of their own making and are desperately looking for a way out.

From where I sit, there is none to be seen.