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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina (8393 Views)
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Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by presidency: 10:13am On Jan 28, 2022 |
Soccer-loving Nigerians were heartbroken last Sunday when the Super Eagles of Nigeria could not fly higher than the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in the second round match of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament holding in Cameroon. Nigerians were full of expectations. The Super Eagles players were confident. President Muhammadu Buhari had done what the father of the nation should do, engaging in a video conference earlier in the day to ginger the players. Alas, Nigeria lost the game by a lone goal, and exited the tournament. Nobody likes to lose in a keen contest, whether political, economic, domestic, professional, or in sports. Winning is exhilarating, gives a feel-good sensation, and generally sends the adrenaline pumping. But you know what? Losing is part of the game. Any game, all games. We may comfort ourselves by saying no victor, no vanquished, but the real truth is that somebody loses. A team loses. It is ineluctable. I follow football a lot, and apart from our local and national teams, I also pay attention to the English Premiership League (EPL), where Manchester City currently leads its closest rival, Liverpool FC by nine points. In October, Man City had been beaten 2-0 by less fancied Crystal Palace, and right at Etihad Stadium, home base of the league leaders. It was something akin to sacrilege. Pep Guardiola is possibly the best coach in the world today, and handles Manchester City. When he was interviewed after the Crystal Palace debacle, he just shrugged, and said; “Losing is part of the game.” True. We want to win at all times. We don’t want to be worsted, or have our nose bloodied at all. But life is not so. You win some, and you lose some. That was what happened to Nigeria last Sunday, though rather painfully. I have read many silly, idiotic and imbecilic comments, trying to link the loss to the video conference the President had with the players on Sunday morning. Witless. Thoughtless. And incidentally, if the Super Eagles had gone into the match without encouragement from their President, the same people would have come out to condemn the leader of the country for being taciturn and insensitive. Head or tail, you never win with some Nigerians. There are countries, and football teams, who have established a tradition for being outstanding in soccer. But such teams and countries have lost scandalously before, underscoring the truth that losing is part of the game. We have talked about Man City and the loss to Crystal Palace. After that week, they went ahead to win the next 12 EPL games, and the fairy tale run did not end till last Saturday, when they played 1-1 away to Southampton FC. You win some, you lose some. Football can be cruel at times. There can be a humiliation of the brightest and best, but it does not mean the end of the beautiful game. After falling, you get up, dust your pants, and move on, waiting for another day. “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up,” says renowned American football coach, Vince Lombardi. Now, see a few checklist of humiliations of great soccer playing teams and nations, and see whether it calls for the otiose politicking, as we saw with some Nigerians earlier this week. AC Milan and Real Madrid are super powers in football. But at the semi final of the European Cup in 1989, Milan handed a 5-0 trouncing to Madrid. In the run up to winning the European Champions League last year, Bayern Munich crushed the great Barcelona FC 8-2. The defeated team included world’s best, Lionel Messi. Argentina is a super power in soccer. But in a 2009 World Cup qualifier, it lost 1-6 to Bolivia. Scandalous! Brazil, possibly the best soccer playing country in the world, hosted the World Cup in 2014. They had reached the semi final, and were clear favorites to lift the trophy. They met Germany, and got thumped 7-1. Outrageous! Well, losing is part of the game. Argentina, under the legendary Diego Maradona lost a World Cup game to Germany 4-0. France beat Brazil 3-0 at France ‘98. The old Czechoslovakia trounced Argentina 6-1 before, England slumped to Hungary 3-6 at Wembley Stadium, their home base, while Portugal fell 0-10 to England at Lisbon in 1953. Spain beat Germany 6-0 in 2020. I say it again: losing is part of the game. One thing was clear from the way the Super Eagles played their firs three matches at AFCON. The German Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, should have been fired long ago. He contributed nothing to Nigerian soccer. The team played better under the tutelage of home based Augustine Eguavoen. As the Sports and Youth Development Minister, Sunday Dare, has said, the team “faced the challenge bravely and gave a good account of themselves.” On those making mischievous political capital out of the loss, the Minister rightly said: “We, as a nation win together, and we lose together. Sports is a unifying factor and those that seek to use it as vectors of division, targeting players with hate speech and making irresponsible statements should rise above such behavior. We are much better than that as a people.” The best players in the world-Pele, Maradona, Johan Cruyff, Messi, Ronaldo, etc have lost, and still lose matches. Under Muhammadu Buhari as military head of state, we won our first Under 17 global trophy in 1985. In this dispensation, we have won the same trophy twice. So, why do the heathens rage, and the people imagine vain things? “Winning is not everything-but making the EFFORT to win is,” says Lombardi. Super Eagles made the effort to win, encouraged by their President, but they lost. Sad. But that is how it is, till another day. Losing is an inevitable part of the game. *Adesina is Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity 12 Likes 1 Share
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Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Kriss216: 10:15am On Jan 28, 2022 |
Tell your boss to stop calling our players during tournaments 84 Likes 4 Shares |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by XXXXTENTACION: 10:23am On Jan 28, 2022 |
Chief zombie has spoken.... 37 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Maxymilliano(m): 10:26am On Jan 28, 2022 |
Buhari’ phone call have always been our problem, He should direct his call to China for more loans 41 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Nobody: 6:46pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
And sincerely, it's diverting us from discovering and realizing the actual faults and mistakes of the team that contributed to the loss 1 Like |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Serna(f): 6:47pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Better luck next time 2 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by tutudesz: 6:48pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Just like linking 5G to security improvement or Your failure to Oil Price 13 Likes 1 Share
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Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by DrGoodman: 6:48pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Losing after a bad luck call is disastrous. 4 Likes |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Tokskob2008: 6:49pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Let's forget bubu for a moment and say the truth, over confidence and lack of focus killed the super eagles... 7 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by CitynewsNG(m): 7:31pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
The Tori long.. Femi and him sharp mouth ehn.. silly, idiotic all in one line.. 3 Likes |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by joyandfaith: 8:01pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
If super eagles had won the game, it would been listed as Buhari achievement. 10 Likes |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by inoki247: 8:12pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
lol na because of loosing you write diz textbook mak I dey read.... 6 Likes |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Rejoy: 8:34pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
B |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by slawormiir: 8:34pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Damnnn niggar We will bounce back come Qatar world cup 3 Likes 2 Shares |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Omniman(m): 8:34pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Some people go just open mouth and rubbish will be flying out 3 Likes |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Jostoman: 8:34pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Maxymilliano: 1 Like |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by riyodo5763: 8:35pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
You are making sense 1 Like |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Falseprofet2: 8:35pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Mophor: 8:35pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Issokay!!! |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Jostoman: 8:36pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
joyandfaith:don't mind them 4 Likes |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by NwaNimo1(m): 8:36pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Jostoman: 8:36pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
inoki247: |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by michlins(m): 8:37pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Why did he call the team 5 Likes |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by DaveJacuzie: 8:37pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Omniman: Thats what he is paid for! 2 Likes |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Celly2020: 8:37pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Hahaha where are those that can't allow us hear world because of APC. HOW FAR 1 Like |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by potbelly(m): 8:37pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Getat! 6 Likes
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Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by seunayantokun(m): 8:38pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Just tell him to stop calling them. 4 Likes |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Agricmoney(m): 8:38pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
it wasn’t way on them Anyway, Agriculture is life. |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by Temptee101(m): 8:39pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Make this man shut up for once. 2 Likes |
Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by MANNABBQGRILLS: 8:39pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Nobody to blame, that is just football. No need apportioning blames to any player right now. We were all in Eldorado watching the first 3 games, (Who wouldn't?!) but reality came to check all of us at the end. We hope to be at the top of our game like in the Golden days of the Glorious Super Eagles of 1994. God bless Nigeria. Addendum : We wrote the below 3 hours before the game started last night, We pray it doesn't happen, But Alas! Wishes are not horses that beggars could ride! We Rise. I have read many silly, idiotic and imbecilic comments, trying to link the loss to the video conference the President had with the players on Sunday morning. Witless. Thoughtless. And incidentally, if the Super Eagles had gone into the match without encouragement from their President, the same people would have come out to condemn the leader of the country for being taciturn and insensitive. Head or tail, you never win with some Nigerians 3 Likes 5 Shares
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Re: Losing Is Part Of The Game - By Femi Adesina by BigYash: 8:39pm On Jan 28, 2022 |
Ok |
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