Godfrey Gaiya, a former Chairman of House of Representatives’ Committee on Sports, on Friday in Abuja said Nigerian football deserved the best in FIFA’s ranking.
He was speaking against the backdrop of FIFA’s August ranking which moved Nigeria from the 70th position in the world to its latest 67th position.
Gaiya said the time was when Nigeria got to the fifth position in FIFA’s rating, saying “nothing stops the country from rotating now among the best 10 teams in the world’’.
“Whenever you see an improvement, it’s something you must applaud.
“If you are last and you are now second to the last, it should mean that you have moved from being the last to second to the last.
“So, from 70th we are now 67th, it means that we have climbed three steps from where we were the last time.
“At one point, Nigeria was number five in the world.
“I wouldn’t bother if we keep rotating between the first 10 in the world and I don’t think we are getting it right.
“Getting it right will mean that Nigeria is a consistent player in the top ranking where it does matter.
“But when we begin to celebrate climbing three steps within a month, I don’t think we are doing ourselves any justice at all.
“There are so many problems bedevilling the game now that we need to work assiduously hard to improve.
“It is not just a temporary monthly ranking that should make us jubilate.
“Nigeria as a football nation, we have issues that we must tackle.
“The World Cup qualifiers for Russia 2018 will commence in October.
“As we talk to each other now, the preparation that will make our participation to yield the most needed fruit is in tatters’’.
Gaiya added that the administrators of football must create a suitable environment for the players and the coaching crew to put in their best and win laurels for the nation.
He noted that the current FIFA ranking of the nation’s football was gotten by sheer luck.
“We should not count on stumbling on success. We should build, be focused and determined.
“Ranking doesn’t come by luck. For me, the three steps we have climbed is basically by luck and next time we may not be that lucky.’’
Nigeria moved three places from its earlier 70th position in the world to its latest 67th, it still maintained its 17th place in Africa.
The latest FIFA ranking was released on Thursday, and the next one will be out on Sept. 15.
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