Were I the Nigerian Football Federation president these are the 10 things I would do to revive the flagging fortunes of the Super Eagles

Ayo Akinfe

[1] I would seek an immediate audience with President Bola Tinubu and make it crystal clear to him that we need to replace Jose Peseiro with Herve Renat ahead of African Cup of Nations that starts in January 2024

[2] I would ask President Tinubu to use his influence with President Emmanuel Macron to get the Fédération Française de Football (FFF) to release Mr Renat from his contract immediately so we can finalise his appointment before Christmas

[3] My proposal would be that the FFF release Mr Renat to us for free on the understanding that we allow him to return to France at the end of the 2026 World Cup

[4] As France are clearly grooming Renat as a successor to Didier Deschamps, I would sign a deal with them to release him for free when they eventually come calling

[5] I would then ask President Tinubu to do what President Obasanjo did. He summoned the likes of Michael Adenuga, Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola to Aso Rock and told them they would be responsible for the salary of the Super Eagles head coach

[6] I would then ask President Tinubu for the introduction of a Private Jet Tax of about $10,000 per aircraft and use that money to fund a national football academy. Something similar to England’s St George’s Park in Birmingham or France’s National Center Du Football in Clairefontaine

[7] Given the incessant growth of religious houses across the country, I would tap into that mega resource too. I would request the introduction of a Faith Tax to be used to fund grassroots academies across all of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas

[8] I would hold monthly progress report meetings with the chairmen of all state FAs to monitor how many youths are coming through the ranks. Every Junior Secondary School pupil must be given the opportunity to see if they can play football

[9] I would write to the National Assembly asking lawmakers to pass laws obliging every club in the country to run a youth academy. Any club that does not have one will be barred from the league and FA competitions

[10] I would then set myself the target of winning the 2030 World Cup. Just imagine the boost that will give the Nigerian economy, the way it will lift national morale, how many ethnic divisions it would eradicate and how it would open up Nigeria to a whole raft of new foreign investors