In a country where our former athlete who ventured into management and administration has recorded more failures than successes, Olukayode Thomas urges Yussuf Alli, one of our few success stories in sports administration, who turned 65 on Monday, July 28, to cement his legacy by sharing the ingredients that made him successful with the next generation.
Introduction
Only neophytes in football will disagree with you if you assert that the former Super Eagles captain, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, is one of the greatest footballers of the last three decades.
Whether it was dribbles, nutmeg, Cruff turn, Elastico, rainbow flick, Maradona turn, first touch, or decision making, Okocha was a jack of all football skills and master of all.
If Okocha had moved to Spain, Italy or England after the USA’94 FIFA World Cup, he would probably have been crowned the best footballer in the world.
But that’s a story for another day; the gist here is that Okocha could not replicate his success on the field in the office as Chairman of the Delta State Football Association.
Kanu Nwankwo, like Okocha, was highly successful, but today he is struggling as the Chairman of one of the most successful football clubs in Nigeria, Enyimba International Football Club of Aba.
For the first time in many years, Enyimba will not be playing continental football next season because they finished sixth in the NPFL.
The Headmaster, Mutiu Adepoju, had a very successful football career, but his tenure as the Principal of Kwara Football College travelled in another direction.
3SC just sacked his colleague Dimeji Lawal for his inability to return the Oluyole Warriors to the pinnacle of African football.
Referring to former Barca star Emmanuel Amunike as a specialist in getting NPFL clubs relegated may be apt.
The list of former footballers in Nigeria who were successful as players but failed as administrators is endless.
But it’s not just footballers, there are similar stories about former basketball, tennis, weightlifting, athletics and stars in other sports.
The tenure of Toni Urhobo and Brown Ebewele as president and technical director of AFN is regarded as the lowest in the history of athletics in Nigeria.
Internationally, Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville and Roy Keane are successful footballers who failed in management.
Alli’s success story in management is down to humility
One former athlete who has been a success on the field and in management and administration is Yussuf Alli, who turns 65 years old today.
A former World, Commonwealth, and African Champion and former African record holder in the long jump.
Alli is resilient, disciplined, a workaholic, and a team player who prioritises hard work over personal comfort.
At 32 years old, Alli discovered that the ability to jump and run is still in his brain, but his body was not what it used to be, so he decided to explore the opportunities in education, probably get more degrees, and become a lecturer or venture into business.
But Abdulkareem Amu, MAK Ogun, Smart Akrakra and others, technically sound athletics administrators of the 1980s and 1990’s had other plans for him
As captain of Team Nigeria to many games and championships like the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games, the All African Games, the World Championships Indoor and Outdoor, the Athletics World Cup, they had seen in Alli what he probably didn’t see in himself- a future leader who has the potential to take athletics to the next level if supported with the right tutorials.
Alli was thinking about the next step after retirement when the leaders of athletics in Nigeria came to his house one evening.
Before he could entertain them, they went straight to business and informed him that he had been appointed the next vice president and technical director of AFN.
Before, he could say yes or no to their offer, they told him he would be reporting to the house, MAK Ogun and others for tutorials.
Unlike many of today’s sportsmen who believe that the transition from running to coaching is as easy as ABC, Alli went to these elder statesmen of athletics daily for tutorials.
Though these elders were not as successful as Alli in athletics but he humbled himself to learn from them.
Alli has also travelled to China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Morocco, Ghana and other countries to learn coaching, sports management and administration.
So it is not surprising that Alli has been successful in most of his assignments, like being the vice president and technical director of AFN, director at COJA, race director/general manager of Aba Marathon, Okpekpe Road Race, Lagos City Marathon and countless events and including his tenure as the Executive Chairman of Edo State Sports Commission (ESSC) was a resounding success.
Alli’s foray into athletics
As God used the elder statesmen of athletics to direct Alli into management, it was the same way God used a young neighbour, Isaac Ikhaobomeh, to direct Alli, a bookworm as a child, into a career in athletics.
Ikhaobomeh had come home with a crate of 7 Up he won at an athletics competition at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
Alli vowed he would join Ikhaobomeh at the next championship; he did, and he won a crate of 7 Up.
But Alli won more than a crate of 7 Up; he decided to embrace athletics, a sport that gave him global fame, medals and fortune, and jettisoned football.
But Alli’s road to global fame, medals and fortune in athletics was not as straight as a rope; it was full of many ups and downs, but at each point when the roads were about to close, Allah would intervene.
Despite qualifying for the Moscow ’80 Olympic Games on merit, it took an intervention from the director of sports, Isaac Akioye, before he was called to camp.
Alli, then, was a student of St. Gregory College, Obalende; his ‘A’ level examination coincided with the games.
Alli’s mother insisted her son wouldn’t be going to Moscow for the Olympic Games at the time he was supposed to be writing his ‘A’ level. She rushed to Obalende to meet the then-principal of St. Gregory College, Emeka Omeruah.
Alli was in this catch-22 situation when fate intervened. For inexplicable reasons, the WAEC decided to postpone their examination that year, and Alli killed two birds with one stone. He went to the Olympics, and he also wrote the A’ A-level papers.
Alli’s admission to the University of Missouri gave his athletic talent wings to fly.
Alli’s athletics talent blossomed at the University of Missouri under the tutelage of coach Bob Teel. He was a dominant figure in the NCAA in the long jump and the 100m.
Alli was also a regular face in the highly lucrative and competitive IAAF Golden League and Grand Prix, now called the World Athletics Diamond League.
Alongside Carl Lewis and Mike Powell, Alli was one of the best long jumpers in the world in his era. It was therefore not surprising that he won many African titles in the golden era of athletics in Africa, then athletics on the African continent was highly competitive and lucrative.
He was also the Commonwealth Games champion, and he held the African record in the long jump for many years.
Alli was also the national champion in the long jump for many years. He captained Team Nigeria to many games and championships like the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Athletics World Cup, World Championships, All-African Games and African Athletics Championships.
Cementing his legacy
In Nigeria today, one of the biggest problems we have in sports is the lack of competent coaches, sports managers and administrators.
As Alli turns 65 years old today, this reporter believes that the only way he can cement his legacy is to set up a formal organisation that will give tutorials to sportsmen and women on the verge of retirement who desire a career in coaching and management.
Alli has mentored the likes of Solomon Aliu, who is today the head of the coaching department at AFN. Aliu has trained and worked with many top athletes, including Tobi Amusan and other great athletes.
Aliu is also today an expert in providing security at sports events, especially mass participation events like road races and marathons.
Olawale Olatunji is today the only certified route measurer and calibrator in Nigeria, thanks to tutorials from Alli. Working with Alli, Olatunji has gone for courses in countries like South Korea, Kenya, South Africa and other places. He is also astute in the organisation and management of sports events.
Other graduates of Alli School of sports management include Babajide Ogunsote, Ademola James, and others too numerous to mention.
This reporter can organise a sports event today without supervision because of my association with Alli.
Has Alli done well in terms of helping the next generation of coaches and sports managers, and administrators? Yes, he has done a lot.
Can he do more? Having worked and walked with Alli for almost three decades, I know he can do more, and that is why I am throwing this open challenge to him, and he should take it and run with it.
As the Chairman of NSC Elite Athlete Development and Podium Appearance Board and a good friend of the Director General of the National Institute of Sports NIS, Philips Shuaibu, the former Deputy Governor, Alli, should from next quarter organise seminar/workshop /training on coaching and sports management and administration for athletes on the verge of retirement in all the six geopolitical zones.
The training, which will be funded by the NSC, NIS and corporate sponsors, will equip the new generation of coaches and sports managers with the skills they need to succeed.
I hope Alli will take up this challenge so that by the time he is celebrating his 70th, graduates of tutorials across the six geopolitical zones will gather to celebrate a legend whose efforts ensured their success on and off the field.
