AFCON 2019: 11 Business Lessons From Super Eagles Bronze Medal Triumph

The 32nd Edition of the African Cup of Nations is arguably one of the biggest
masterpieces in African sports. The Biennial continental football tournament
was scheduled to be hosted by Cameroon, but was stripped of these rights
due to insecurity and Anglophone crises the hosting rights was transferred to
Egypt.
In this year’s Edition for the first time we had 24 teams vying for one of the
most celebrated trophies in the African Continent. The tournament was filled
with intrigues and breath taking moments, upsets and comebacks,
unbelievable misses and clinical finishes. It was in short a delightful viewing
experience.

The super Eagles of Nigeria finished as third best team winning bronze
medal at the expense of Tunisia who gave Senegal a tough time in their
semi-final round. Eventual champions Algeria were not favorite’s but
Mahrez’s antics was enough to ginger the team to victory. No doubt they
had a formidable team and were impressive all through the tournament.
The super Eagles who fielded a very young side, with the average age being
23 years showed so much promise. Owing to the fact that our team B was
equally as good as the first team. There was a solid replacement for every
player who made the first team. The Coach had selection problems
throughout the tournament, and was under immense pressure to field certain
players.
With this introduction above. I will explore the Super Eagles team, the
Coach’s philosophy, game play, strategy, style, the players, their strengths
and weakness, how they managed a winning formula and the draw backs
that ensured they did not make it to the final even after knocking out the
defending champions in a grand fashion.


1. Success is a win at a time:
The Super Eagles Coach Gernot Rohr showed us how to behave when
everything is going smoothly. During his press briefing with the press he
never spoke in a manner that hinted that the opposing team was inferior. He
always praised his opponents and showed so much respect for the team
and the quality of the player.
Lesson:
In business a level head, moderate expectations with attention to details can
be the quality that stands you out from your competitors. Businesses who
feel they have arrived or are satisfied with their progress will in no time be
out of business. While a business that try to improve, innovate and acquire
new technology and services will continue to evolve.
2. Never be too sure of your strengths:
As the saying goes the only thing permanent is ‘CHANGE’ and people who
embrace it will enjoy the fruit thereof. That said after a convincing win
against Burundi and Guinea the Super Eagles and the fans alike started to
believe in themselves and their chances of lifting the trophy. This somewhat
impeded the teams focus as a result lost horribly to little unknown
Madagascar by 2 goals and crashed out in the Semi-final to Algeria thanks
to a curling free kick by Mahrez at the nick of time.
Lesson:
When analyzing your SWOT, while it’s good to play to your strengths and
down mitigate your weaknesses. It is equally ill advised to overestimate your
abilities. Especially when your competitor is new and has little experience.
Their inexperience can be an advantage because they will be more
susceptible to falling forward as opposed to being risk averse.
3. Your competition can be a blessing in disguise:
One of the most intriguing matches in the just concluded African Cup of
Nations was the match between Bafana Bafana of South Africa and hosts
Egypt. This in my opinion was the biggest upset of the tournament. Pundits
and football students had proclaimed Egypt favorites at the expense of
Senegal, Cameroon and Nigeria. South Africa with an unknown starting line-
up were able to eliminate Egypt. The game was so intense, and to enjoy the
match you had to literally sit at the edge of your seat. South Africa’s victory
secured a place for the Super Eagles at the semis. I was of the opinion that If
Nigeria met Egypt with Mohammed Salah who is arguably one of the best
football players in Africa we would have been eliminated at the Quarter finals.
Lesson:
Every business has competitors some are there not for our harm but for our
protection and growth. They shield us from other competitors who have
more senile tendencies towards us. From the ordinary we see them as
unrefined, too crass and inconsequential but their presence widens the
margin that keeps you profiting because they ward off other competitors to
advance your interest.
4. Have a contingency plan (Even when the numbers add up):
In the introduction to my write up I stated that Super Eagles coach had a
selection dilemma as there were players who he was under pressure to field.
This could be a gift and a curse depending on how you manage the
situation. For the Super Eagles gaffer I believe he made the best use of his
players to the best of his ability. Even though reading through various write-
ups and comments during the competition, many called for his removal. He
put his resources to uttermost use as the substitutions were near perfection
and the positions being filled were in dire need of replacement.
Lesson:
Never underestimate the power of planning, there is an old saying which
goes thus; ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’. In essence even though your
sales are up, your balance sheet and cash flow accounts have been
reconciled. Inventory has been stock piled for the next 3 – 6 months and
your tax bills have been sorted. You should still set aside a rainy day fund,
this not only secures you in the event of a miscellaneous event. But also
gives you a buffer and needed confidence to go into the marketplace bullish.
5. Practice your victory dance:
It would be undesirable for you to go into any tournament without first
learning how you will jubilate when you are victorious. This not only serves
as a motivation but also helps you keep focus. We saw games where Ighalo,
after scoring a goal makes a run to the corner flank and raises his hands to
the heavens. He did not make the gesture coincidentally, he had practiced it
year, after year, after year.
Lesson:
Don’t wait to be successful before you start living a successful life, you may
not have all the resources you need for your business right away but keep
the dream alive. Print a business card, register a company, design a
business logo etc. It may seem like you are not making progress but all the
movement in the right direction was the capacity you were building for a
solid business foundation.
6. Distractions Distractions Distractions:
It’s very unlikely that anyone who intends to go far in the journey of life will
pay attention to side comments and frivolities. After the Super Eagles last
group stage match loss to Madagascar, it was like all hell should break loose
and the Super Eagles head coach be relieved of his coaching duties. There
were all sorts of complaints about his tactical prowess, his selection and
team formation. I am sure some of these comments got to him as some of
his coaching crew members would also share the same views. However
without any comment from him, he brushed off the negative feedback and
went on to defeat Cameroon the reigning Champions which is judged by me
as one of the biggest comebacks of the tournament.
Lesson:
Never lose sight of what’s important, give ear to what your competition is
saying but pay mind to what your customers are saying. In the end it
doesn’t really matter. What matters most are the results you have to show
for your hard-work.
7. You cannot hurry time:
During the course of the AFCON tournament some matches you want to run
down the clock while some you’ll be hopeful for an extra 5 minutes and if
possible 30 minutes. But usually doesn’t turn out that way. Most times
events in the match could also affect the extra time given, for example an
injury, VAR decision. When you are a goal down you want the clock to freeze,
however when you are a goal up, you can’t wait to run out the clock.
However one thing is for certain we have no control over these outcomes, we
can only pray that the players perform to their uttermost abilities to gain the
upper hand.
Lesson:
Always put your best foot forward could be your right or left. Mahrez scored
a left footed free-kick that knocked Nigeria out of the tournament seconds to
the end of regulation time. A 5 minutes extra time was not enough for the
Super Eagles to reply to Mahrez’s long range onslaught. In essence always
be prepared, your competition is constantly looking for ways to outwit you.
They will stop at nothing by any means, either ethical, or unethical.
8. Match your competition (Strength, tactic, skill):
The Super Eagles were favourites to win this year’s continental African
trophy as they had a well-rounded and formidable team. They boasted of
7-9 forwards, the mid-field was solid like-wise the defense. But we had in-
experienced goal keepers. This was our undoing, as Mahrez’s converted his
last gasp winner as a result of an ill-positioned Daniel Akpeyi. The Super
Eagles after the exit of Vincent Enyeama, have required the services of up to
5 goal keepers in 3 years. Things were getting better till Carl Ikeme went
down with leukemia and the search for a new stopper ensued. Coincidently
we lacked a decisive play-maker like Victor Moses who knows how to take
good free kicks. Throughout the tournament all our spot kicks were blasted
far and wide, no experience or direction on the ball.
Lesson:
In business dealings don’t do the right thing because it’s convenient and
when it’s not convenient you rescind your support for such decisions. If you
must succeed in business you need to have an open-mind devoid of
sentiments. Sentiment blinds you from seeing things which are harmful to
you as well as limiting your vision which impedes progress.
9. If it isn’t broken don’t fix it:
Weeks before the start of the African Cup of Nations there were already side
talks about the credentials of the German tactician Gernot Rohr. Comparing
him with past coaches who had achieved success for the National team.
Some argued mostly that he did not know how to spot talents, talk-less
utilize them. The call for his sack grew even louder when the Super Eagles
lost to Madagascar on their last Group B qualifying encounter. However the
Super Eagles with the help of Gernot Rohr’s brilliance made it as far as
finishing third, winning the golden boot and Ighalo making the team of the
tournament. By all standard this is impressive for a team that hasn’t
qualified for the African Cup of Nations since lifting the trophy in South Africa
as far back as 2013.
Lesson:
Firstly don’t compare your business to another business, which is the recipe
for disaster. You will lose sight of your uniqueness and start trying to be like
your competitor to the point that you will start to resent them. Once that
comes into play there is no limit to how far the mind can go to get what it
wants. But the draw-back with this is that the business will never be
coherent, because even after you acquire your new identity you will forever
be a copy not an original (your competition). So in essence stay within your
limits and work according to the hand that is dealt to you. Your business has
its own dynamic peculiarities and competitive advantage, knowing how to
unearth, exploit and utilize them is the key to unlock the financial potentials
of any business.
10. Every team member is equally as important:
You may not believe it but only one or two players who were shortlisted for
the Super Eagles AFCON 2019 squad played an active role in the success of
the team finishing third place and winning bronze medal in the process. I
mentioned earlier in point 4 above, that the Super Eagles gaffer was spoilt for
choice. However he did not let it get to his head or play favouritism. Each
player had their chance at the right time when he deemed fit, at the right
match he used the right players to achieve his aims changing formations
and matching them up in a manner where they complimented each other
and were not rivals. A good example that comes to mind is Chukwueze’s
introduction which brought out the attacking Flair in Iwobi. Both players
teaming up was a joy to watch, many will agree that we’ll love to see more
of those promising lads.
Lesson:
In business we need to apply the 5 Ps of marketing in the right mix to
achieve our business goals. It is equally important to note that it is not
possible for every employee in your business to get the same result or make
as much progress as the other. Nevertheless their contribution one way or
the other is valuable. The janitor is as important and the Manager and vice-
versa, they might not earn the same salary or have the same quality of life
but they should be treated fairly and equitably. This might sound a little
derogatory however even a pest has its nuisance value.
11. There are good days, bad days and match days:
On arrival in Egypt for the 32 nd Edition of the African Cup of Nations, the
super Eagles embarked on a journey to bring home the AFCON 2019 trophy.
However during these period there were a series of event that took place.
Some related to their purpose of being in Egypt and others totally
unconnected however still played a part on their over-all performance in the
tournament. There was sight-seeing, press conferences, visits to
orphanages, trainings and match briefings, the salary saga, the NFF
corruption saga, the calls for Rohr’s resignation, and celebrations of their
third place finish and eventual return to Nigeria. Through all this if one of the
important players decide that he would not play a crucial match because his
hotel room a/c isn’t cooling the way he wants. This might be a valid reason
but that singular decision may jeopardize the whole essence of the team
being in Egypt. So no matter the weather condition when called on to be on
the team and contribute your quota always stand up to be counted. If you
don’t want to play a part on the team, don’t go down to Egypt.
Lesson:
In our daily business dealings your staff/co-worker/colleague/superior/sub-
ordinate may come up with cogent excuses of which if you think critically
about it are tenable and on the face value can be waived. However looking
at it more critically you will see that there was no basis for them making
such decision or taking such step apart from the fact that the person in
question was selfish and overzealous. However as I said in point 10 above
“This might sound a little derogatory however even a pest has its nuisance
value”.