To err is human – The Victor Osimhen saga

To Err is Human – The Victor Osimhen saga 🙏🏽😇

Majority of us will have seen or at the very least heard about the live Instagram video that Victor Osimhen aired yesterday. It has generated varied opinions in the football space, some defending him and blaming the NFF and others calling out his “bad behaviour”. It really saddens me that he did that live event for a number of reasons, the main one being that he is now trending for all the wrong reasons. There is no doubt that Victor “shows up” when he is representing the Super Eagles, but the shenanigans of yesterday are overshadowing the positives that he brings to the team.

A number of points I would like to touch on 👇🏽

🎯 Firstly let’s talk about “anger”. It’s never ever good to speak when angry as it more often than not results in saying things you could end up regretting and/or that could have been worded better.

🎯 Social media is amazing technology connecting you directly to the world/fans, but as the famous quote goes, “the internet never forgets”. Even if it did, people don’t. We need to be careful how we utilise social media.

🎯 Verifying Information – I have spoken with certain credible individuals who have confirmed that Coach Finidi did not say the things that he was accused of saying. Be careful what you read and believe on social media 😏.

🎯 Image and Branding – What people read and see online can make or break their perception of you. When you are a public figure, especially in a highly commercialised sport like football, your brand is money 💰. Big brands are scouring social media handles of athletes looking for ambassadors to represent them. The sight of an athlete shouting and cursing at his coach really isn’t a good look 😔.

🎯 “Talent is not enough. We need a player with a good attitude” – I cannot count the number of times I have heard this from coaches/sporting directors. Clubs will much rather work with players who are “manageable”. A bad attitude could result in clubs either being totally turned off signing a player or capping their spending budget on the player.

🎯 Life after football – I know ex players who maintained very good relationships with their previous clubs/national teams. This has come in extremely handy for coaching attachments/UEFA/CAF coaching qualifications or in their new careers as scouts/agents.

🎯 Role models – I have heard public figures stating that they have never presented themselves as “role models”, so should be allowed to live their lives as they see fit. The problem is, once you become a “football star” it comes with the territory. Many young boys and girls look up to footballers and hang onto their every word and action.

Next steps ? 🤔 – A public apology would be a good start, and potentially, sanctions by the NFF. No player should feel (or be made to feel) like he’s bigger than the coach or team. This cannot be a precedent for other players to follow.


To enjoy the full benefit of this post and some interesting comments, you can also view it on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/eby-emenike-0726195_tbdfootballeducation-nigerianfootball-osimhen-activity-7208121591740674048-CS1W?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios

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