By Amaechi Agbo

Nigerians, it is obvious, are passionate about sports particularly football. They do everything and can go to any length to show their undying passion for the round leather game.

The place of music in any sports cannot be underrated and it is on this basis that national football teams always have a group of supporters who accompanies them to match venues to sing for and support them.

For the Super Eagles, a group known as Nigerian Football Supporters Club, NFSC, is charged with this responsibility. They have been supporting and cheering the team for ages during matches at home and away.

Prior to Brazil 2014 World Cup, this group had remained indissoluble, united in one accord, cheering and singing the Super Eagles to victory at all matches. But after the World Cup, it became a different ball game entirely.

Shortly after Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup, a major crack occurred in the Nigerian Football Supporters Club, leading to the emergence of a new group headed by Vincent Okumagba.

Soon, two other groups also emerged from the breakaway group, bringing the number to four supporters clubs in Nigeria.

At the Egypt 2019 AFCON, the four groups operated differently, singing different songs and offering different drum beats from four opposing directions. This, unfortunately affected the performances of the players during the just concluded AFCON in Egypt with one of the team’s defender, Chidozie Awaziem lamenting that discordant tunes from the four supporting clubs affected the players in no small measure.

Awaziem feels the inability of the Nigerian supporters clubs to speak in one voice is damaging the efforts of the team at major competitions.

Awaziem, a defender, told The Guardian at the Cairo Airport shortly before he left for Lagos by Egypt Air on Thursday morning that the different sounds of trumpets and songs coming from the four supporters clubs at the same time were confusing.
 
“I play in the defence, and that makes me closer to the supporters clubs because they usually stay behind our goal post. But the different kind of music that comes from them at the same time are confusing.

“In the past, their drumbeats usually gave us some inspiration on the pitch, but that is no more. What we hear from the supporters clubs these days are different music with no meaningful impact. Some will be singing and dancing Awilo music, others singing Makossa, while the others will be singing Christian music. They are confusing us, and I think something urgent has to be done to solve the problem with the supporters clubs,” he stated.
   
Awaziem, who plays for Turkish club Caykur Rizespor on loan from FC Porto, also spoke on Super Eagles’ performance in Egypt 2019. “I don’t think we performed badly in this competition. Out of 24 teams, we finished third, which is not a bad result. It would have been better if we got to the final and won, but that is football. We have to fight harder next time, “ he stated.
 
Awaziem joined El-Kanemi Warriors FC in 2014 before he took his soccer trade abroad. He featured in many matches for the Super Eagles here in Egypt after coming on as a replacement for the injured first choice right back, Abdullahi Shehu during the group games in Alexandria.