Simon kolawole
11 May 2008
opinion
Lagos — I choose to ignore, today, those who scream "cultural imperialism!" whenever we discuss the English Premier League football. I have discovered that these same people quote Shakespeare and Charles Dickens generously, listen to the music of Beyonce and Bob Marley without remorse, and watch CNN and Movie Magic mercilessly.
I would have expected our critics to limit their horizon to Amos Tutuola, Dan Maraya Jos and Murhi TV. Some of our critics even wear jeans and drink red wine, when you would expect them to keep to "kembe" and "burukutu". I have heard many of them discuss the US presidential primaries better than the presidential primary of National Action Committee (NAC), led by the comical Olapade Agoro. So we are talking about pot and kettle here.
Today marks the end of the most intriguing EPL season in recent years, with the title still likely to go the way of either Manchester United or Chelsea. Man U are currently on top of the table based on superior goals difference. But today, a win for Chelsea, at home to Bolton, and a draw for Man U, away to Wigan, will land Chelsea their third title in four years. If Man U beat Wigan, Chelsea will need to beat Bolton 18-0 to claim the title. A draw for both sides will see Man U claim an incredible 10th Premier League title out of a possible 16 since the elite league was launched in 1993. Now that's awesome.
Nobody could have predicted that the final day of the 2007-08 season would decide the title winners. Since the inception of the Premier League, only thrice has the title challenge stretched to the last day - in 1995, 1996 and 1999. In 1995, Blackburn led Man U with two points but with an inferior goals difference. While Blackburn lost 2-1 to Liverpool on the final day, United could not get the win they needed at West Ham as they could only draw 1-1. Blackburn made away with the title by the skin of their teeth.
In 1996, United led the table by two points, with Newcastle breathing down their neck. United needed a win at Middlebrough to make sure, while Newcastle also needed a win to stand a chance. Newcastle drew 1-1 at home to Tottenham and United won the title with an emphatic 3-0 win away to Middlebrough. Three years later, United went to the last day of the season just one point ahead of Arsenal. United needed a win at home to Tottenham, which they almost didn't get as the Londoners took a surprise lead, while Arsenal led Aston Villa 1-0. Trust United - they characteristically recovered, equalised and scored the winner - and to Old Trafford the title went again!
The odds are heavily against Chelsea today. Historically, no second-placed team has won the EPL title on the final day. Two, Wigan's coach, Steve Bruce - a United old boy, by the way - has never defeated United before, right from his time as coach of Birmingham. Statistically, United are superior to Chelsea. They have scored 78 goals, compared to Chelsea's 64; conceded 22, compared to Chelsea's 25; boast of a +56 goals difference, compared to Chelsea's +39. But then statistics are as good as yesterday. Today, a win for Chelsea and a draw for United will consign these statistics to the dustbin.
That Chelsea will beat Bolton today can be taken for granted - but will United falter on the bad pitch at Wigan? That's quite unlikely, as United have always seemed to get the result they need at critical times. But Wigan have also proved this season that they can stand up to the big boys - they drew 1-1 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with a last-minute equaliser. If Chelsea had won that match, they would have enjoyed the advantage of being favourites today. Those two points dropped may prove to be decisive after all. But it means Wigan can also take two points off United today - don't forget they also drew away to Liverpool and at home to Arsenal earlier this season.
It should also not be assumed that Chelsea will beat Bolton with ease. To be sure of winning irrespective of United's result, Chelsea must beat Bolton 18-0 and above. If this were Nigerian league, it is achievable. Two seasons ago, Akwa United needed a 12-goal win over Calabar Rovers to gain promotion to the elite league and they won 13-0, about the same number of goals they had scored all season! Nigerian authorities said there was no evidence to show the match was fixed - and somebody expects me to take Nigerian football serious! We are just a bunch of jokers in this country.
Anyway, relegation-threatened Bolton need a vital point at Chelsea today to be absolutely sure of remaining in the Premier League next season. They are notorious for putting 10 players behind the ball and making life difficult for their opponents, especially since they have something to lose, unlike Wigan who are already guaranteed Premier League status next season, win or lose today. So, the match at Stamford Bridge looks the tougher of the two key fixtures.
But you also have to be very careful with that analysis. Wigan are currently 13th on the table. If they lose to United, they could end up placing 16th. This could mean up to _3 million lost in prize money which is shared progressively based on the final standings on the table. For a small club like Wigan, every penny counts as there are many bills to settle. There is, therefore, a real incentive for them to have a go at United. The match is expected to be watched by a global audience of 500 million, so the pressure is there for both sides - on Wigan who are not used to this kind of monumental fixture, and on United who may be prone to mistakes having been stretched full-length by smaller teams like Bolton, Derby and West Ham this season.
This is my take: everybody, except Chelsea's fans, expects Man U to win the title today. If United fail, they would be the most devastated, having played extraordinary football this season. If Chelsea fail, their fans will be disappointed for one reason: they had been counted out after Mourinho's departure, but they had gradually sneaked into the title race and raised the hope of the hopeless. To now fail at the final hurdle will be felt harder than not having any glimmer of hope at all. But, to my mind, Chelsea have done quite well in very difficult circumstances. Failing at the final hurdle is not exactly what can be termed a disaster.
Who do I support for the title? I can't be bothered. I'm an Arsenal fan. We disastrously went out of contention a few weeks ago and I'm still licking my wounds. In fact, I don't want either Chelsea or Man U to win the title. I would have gladly settled for Derby County or Fulham!
That Lagos May Excel
No matter my criticism of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, he has always demonstrated more maturity than his predecessor, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. And I think this is vital if we are to manage the delicate political balance of the country which is very necessary as we strive towards development. Following disputes between Lagos State and the Federal Government over the ownership of certain property in Lagos, which the state thinks should be reverted to it rather than be sold off since the federal government was no longer holding them in public interest, a committee was set up by Yar'Adua. The committee, following in Obasanjo's garrison footsteps, recommended that the Federal Government should "fight to the finish". No, Yar'Adua said, we'll choose dialogue.
Some hawks, who think Lagos should be wiped off the map of Nigeria since the federal capital moved to Abuja, are not very happy with this approach. They have already nicknamed Yar'Adua "Lagos President" because of his constructive disposition to the economic capital of Nigeria. This is one of the reasons Nigeria remains backward. People are unable to overcome narrow sentiments in the overall interest of the economy. Should Rio de Janeiro be wiped out because Brasilia is now the capital of Brazil? Should Johannesburg be destroyed for Pretoria in South Africa? Should Casablanca be levelled up for Rabat in Morocco?
Lagos, ironically, plays host to everyone from everywhere. That it needs special attention is not debatable at all. The development of Abuja should not in any way mean a neglect of Lagos. Governor Babatunde Fashola has clearly articulated a development plan for Lagos and he needs the support of all, including that of the Federal Government, as he tackles the challenges that have accumulated over decades. I salute Yar'Adua for this approach - and I believe Fashola will reciprocate with reasonable compromise.
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