There is always a difference between being at the World Cup and going to the World Cup.  In the World Cup 2010, Nigeria was at the World Cup, but the United States went to the World Cup.  The group stages are for eliminating half of the teams that are merely at the event.  It is those that are in the second round that went to the World Cup.  The purpose of having the first round of the World Cup is to give every continent a chance to be present and be seen.  The actual World Cup is officially for those in the second round who are good enough technically and intellectually to compete for the World’s greatest price.  So far, it seems Ghana is the only African nation out of six that actually went to the World Cup even on African soil. 

Many Nigerians fails to realize that Lagerback was not hired to take Nigeria to the World Cup, but rather, he was hired to merely present Nigeria at the World Cup.  Lagerback was not there to take Nigeria to the second round, he was used as a front to pay out a huge sum of salary for the World Cup, but half of that salary will be put in private accounts after the World Cup on behalf of the Nigerian officials that placed him there.  Think about it; where did Lagerback come from to automatically become the Nigerian coach?  He was not even on the list of coaches to begin with.  Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) said that Lagerback knew Nigerian players better than the other foreign coaches that were listed officially, but that did not show from his team selection and technical execution at the World Cup. 

The officially favored Coach Hoodle, stated after he walked away from the offer, that he was told to agree to a $0.5 million kickback to Nigerian officials if they announced publicly that his salary was $1.5 million before he could get the Nigerian coaching job.  This makes perfect sense.  How can you hire a man that failed to qualify his country for the World Cup, after giving his very best, to take your country to the second round of the World Cup?  Amodu was paid N2.25 million ($15,000) a month, which is equivalent to $180,000 annually, but Lagerback got N345 million ($2.3million) for 5 months, which is equivalent to N69 million ($460,000) a month.  This is about 31 times (3000% more) than Amodu, who qualified Nigeria for the World Cup, was paid monthly ($460,000/$15,000).  In Sweden, Lagerback got paid N48,750,000 ($325,000) annually, which is equivalent to N4,062,500 ($27,083) per month.    In fact, Nigeria is paying Lagerback almost 1.5 times (42% more) the money he made in Sweden annually in just one month ($460,000 monthly/$325,000 annually).  So compared to what Lagerback was making in Sweden monthly, Nigeria is paying him ($460,000/$27,083) 17 times (1600% more).  So Lagerback alone is collecting the salary of 17 Swedish coaches from Nigeria each month (why not 20?).  So Largerback is not in South Africa to coach Nigeria, but rather, to present a cover up to Nigerians in a secret attempt to help Nigerian officials in transferring stolen Nigerian money into their personal accounts abroad.   At the Nigerian coach interview, all Lagerback must have told the Nigerian officials was how well he could help transfer the money on their behalf and be quiet about it.  They even gave him 1.5 times (53% more) the money they previously promised Coach Hoddle for a kickback ($2.3 million/$1.5 million).  He never studied the Nigerian players nor had the genuine interest of staying in Nigeria after the World Cup to build our football.  He simply came to get rich through the win-win collaboration with Nigerian officials.   

Now, Nigerians are reading in the news that Lagerback has not been paid for 2 months and many are happy that Nigeria should not pay him.  Are Nigerians that blind?  It is all a corruption game and an old one too.  They did it for Troussier, Vogts, and now Lagerback.  NFF gives extravagant salaries to these foreign coaches knowing very well that they are not the best for Nigeria and that the contract, which is kept secret from the public, does not specify that the coach WILL NOT get his full payment regardless of how he performs or after he gets an early termination.  After the expected bad performance, NFF pretends to be angry and disappointed, and also threaten not to pay the coach the full amount of the contract.  The coach also plays along and pretends to want to sue the NFF.  After the two partners in crime have finished exchanging word in the press with the Nigerian public praising their NFF, all the coach has to do is simply take the secret contract to FIFA.  FIFA then see that the contract stupidly guarantees full payment to the coach regardless.  FIFA as the football god pays the coach the full amount and have Nigeria owing FIFA.   FIFA then deducts the balance Nigeria owes it from the award money of the next competition Nigeria participates in and the Nigerian public never gets to know how it was resolved.  The last they read was that the coach went to FIFA, but the coach still ends up settling the Nigeria officials through the code of silence. 

FIFA as well as many Nigerians think that Nigerian officials are stupid.  No, they are very intelligent the negative way.  The only way to steal huge sums of money is to create a problem and try to fix it through foreign assistance.  When the money comes, just get any incompetent White man to act like he is up to the task, then they share the money later.  This is how money goes to Swiss bank and other banks; through underrated foreign contactors who use Nigeria to become wealthy.  Even if Siasia, Amodu, or Keshi can do the job, they can not be used to get the salary of 17 Swedish coaches, put Nigerian officials share in their personal foreign accounts, and count on them to be quiet in Nigeria.  Even if the Holy Ghost tells these officials to do the right thing, their wives and godfathers will ask them if they are going to eat the World Cup.   

Even the hotel problem before the World Cup was the same game.  Nigeria demanded that a 2-star hotel that was about 2 hours away from the match venues was good for them despite FIFA’s opposition to the standard and distance.  At the end, FIFA said that Nigeria must pay $250,000 fees and penalty to a 2-star hotel we never used due to late changes by Nigeria for a FIFA approved 5-star hotel.  It is the same story.  Nigeria made a contract with the hotel and the hotel promised to upgrade the hotel.  After a few minor upgrades, Nigeria changes its mind.  So it becomes a breach of contract against Nigeria.  If Nigeria does not pay, FIFA has to honour all national football contract made on behalf of the FIFA games and Nigeria will then owe FIFA again.  The hotel and Nigerian officials will share the money, and the balance will be deducted from the next FIFA competition Nigeria will play in.  This is one of the reasons why players and local coaches never get paid on time or get enough bonuses.  The money always comes up short for Nigeria in the future events.  In fact, during the 1998 World Cup, the commentator in one of the Nigerian matches clearly stated to the entire world that the Nigerian Football team was yet to be paid for the 1996 Olympics participation.   I guess Nigeria owed FIFA too much back then and maybe now, because our players did not show much effort at all. Unless we put intellectual Nigerians in office who believe in leaving public accomplishments for all to see and love developing our citizens, Nigeria will always have bad leaders, bad coaches, and underrated foreign contractors.  This is because it is the surest way to amass wealth within a very short period with little or not effort. 

References: 

Salary of World Cup Coaches: http://ggfitnesstraining.com/salaries-of-coaches-going-to-south-africa-world-cup-2010/   

Coach Hoddle Complain: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/18/glenn-hoddle-nigeria-police-investigation  

Nigerian Salary for Largerback: http://nationaldailyngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1617:lagerback-nigeria-fritters-away-n345m&catid=58:football&Itemid=386 

Swedish Salary for Lagerback: http://www.completesportsnigeria.com/2010/03/lagerback-paid-325000-a-year-as-sweden-coach/