Lagos — The newly appointed Technical Adviser to the Super Eagles, Lars Lagerback, must have by now come to terms with the enormity of his assignment. Only an excellent delivery of his assignment, notably the World Cup in South Africa, will be good enough for Nigerians who are eager to witness the resuscitation of the game they hold dear.

The Swedish tactician has come on board at a particularly critical point in the history of football in Nigeria. As a recognised soccer power in Africa and the world, Nigeria has failed to live up to expectation in recent times. The journey to Mundial was rough as the national team narrowly qualified from a relatively easy group at the expense of its more purposeful Tunisian counterpart. Performance at the last African Cup of Nations in Angola was equally embarrassing as the star-studded Nigerian side went down in the semi-final to Ghana that paraded a largely under-20 squad. Those two poor outings took place under the watch of the team's former handler, Shuaibu Amodu, thereby precipitating calls for recruiting another coach, preferably foreign.

Now, with only three months to the greatest football show on earth, Lagerback is saddled with leading the Super Eagles. He should, therefore, take this privilege with sobriety and a sense of responsibility and see it as an avenue to prove his competence beyond doubt.

No doubt, he goes into the job with distractions of an alleged bribery case. But until that is proven, Nigerians will surely forget the allegation that tries to cast a shadow on his five-month contract if he galvanises the team and makes impact in the first soccer competition of its kind in Africa.

Luckily, his pedigree, though not necessarily better than that of his rivals for the job, suggests that he has the capacity to achieve the much needed feat come June/July. Between 1977 and last year, he led his country to four major finals at different age groups of the game and also discharged his duties well at domestic club sides.

Those past glories can now serve as catalyst for his second and perhaps more daunting national team duty. We believe that the shortness of time is adequately compensated by the country's array of talents at home and abroad. All Lagerback needs to do now is to roll up his sleeves and work.

The knowledge of the Nigerian players he displayed during the interview should now be put to practical use. Only players who are fit, skilled and disciplined enough should be given the chance to play in friendlies and ultimately the championship. There should be no place for discrimination or hero worship of footballers in the new scheme of things.

It is not only in the choice of players that the current Super Eagles boss needs to demonstrate courage. His dealings with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) should be characterized by firmness, as the football house is sometimes accused of meddling in technical matters and undermining the people's soccer aspirations.

With the presidential weight behind Lagerback, he should have no problem in assembling and nurturing a result-oriented team of players for the World Cup. He should be ready to take constructive advice from his Nigerian assistants and also vouch for the professional integrity of the foreign ones. But since he is accountable for all his decisions, he must do only those things that would justify the confidence reposed in him.

The semi-final target given to him by his employers may look unrealistic, but with the array of talents in the country, it is indeed a possibility. Interestingly, with about $1.5m, Lagerback is the fourth highest paid coach among the 32 senior coaches that will be in South Africa.

Justifying that investment could be his most significant challenge and a nation's reward for patience and undying faith in the game that breaks ethnic, religious, political and cultural barriers.