{"id":1577,"date":"2019-05-04T14:14:43","date_gmt":"2019-05-04T13:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/?p=1577"},"modified":"2019-07-06T14:55:36","modified_gmt":"2019-07-06T13:55:36","slug":"afcon-2019-daily-diary-day-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mathematical7.com\/m7\/afcon-2019-daily-diary-day-13\/","title":{"rendered":"AFCON 2019 Daily Diary\u00a0 – Day 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

With two days to go, the countdown has begun.\u00a0 Gernot Rohr is keeping everything close to his chest.\u00a0\u00a0Last night, after dinner, he allowed the media a last interaction with the players. The players were free to talk and express their thoughts approaching the most crucial match of the championship so far, a match that could make or mar them.\u00a0\u00a0Otherwise, earlier during the day little happened.\u00a0\u00a0The camp was empty of any unwanted visitors.\u00a0\u00a0Gernot would not allow anything or anyone to disrupt the calmness of his players and the tranquillity of the environment.\u00a0 He wanted the players to be totally focused on the match on Saturday. He even insisted that feel like it or not, the players had to remain in their rooms for their afternoon siesta, between 2 and 4 pm.\u00a0 No loitering, no visitors, no noisemaking, no telephones, nothing!<\/p>\n

For the\u00a0Super Eagles<\/i><\/b>, it was back to the basics of strict camp discipline.\u00a0\u00a0There was training in the evening, of course.\u00a0\u00a0For only the first 15 minutes of the session, the press were allowed to film the team training. Thereafter, they were politely asked to leave so that more serious tactical training could take place.\u00a0\u00a0By the time the players returned to their base last night, it was clear they had gone through very serious drilling from the way they dragged their bodies through dinner and dove to bed.<\/p>\n

It is another day, this morning.\u00a0 The air is filled with clear instruction from Mr Gernot Rohr that his team is not to be disturbed by anyone or anything.\u00a0 Even today\u2019s training will be \u2018closed\u2019 to everyone except his technical crew.\u00a0\u00a0This is a different Gernot as he approaches the most critical match of his assignment with the Super Eagles. He knows it himself that failure on Saturday (and that does not mean losing, but not doing as well as Nigerians expect their national team to play at all times \u2013 fighting till they drop even when they don\u2019t win), his stay beyond Egypt will be in serious doubt.\u00a0\u00a0So, he is deploying a strict regimen as an important strategy with the players for the match.\u00a0\u00a0The good news is that there have not been any government officials, or outsiders talking to the players, promising them anything, distracting them and unbalancing the equilibrium they have achieved so far for this match.\u00a0\u00a0There will be no excuses for not playing as if their lives depend on winning this particular match.\u00a0 It must never be documented that the\u00a0Super Eagles <\/i><\/b>did not give of their very best, win or lose!<\/p>\n

The sum total of what\u2019s going on here this morning is that it is all very quiet.<\/p>\n

By the way, I came across some archival material of not so long ago that would interest all Nigerians.\u00a0\u00a0After I wrote my last book,\u00a0\u2018Me, Football and More\u201d, <\/i><\/b>a compilation of some very interesting stories from my writings through almost 4 decades, I invited some of the best readers and broadcasters in Nigeria, to read one chapter of the book each \u2013 Ronke (Dalley) Ayuba, Bimbo (Roberts) Oloyede, Joke Silva, Jimmy Solanke, Patrick Oke, Soni Irabor, Yinka Davis, Femi Sewoolu, Taiwo Solanke, Osasu Obayiuwana, Femi Segun, and so on.\u00a0\u00a0We recorded some of the readings on video, but all on audio.<\/p>\n

From this weekend, everyone can connect with a supreme diet of incomparable voices, diction, elocution, delivery and syntax.\u00a0\u00a0They shall be uploaded this weekend onto the\u00a0www.mathematical7.com<\/a> website.<\/p>\n

So, check it out, for endless information, history, enlightenment and entertainment.<\/p>\n

Segun Odegbami<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With two days to go, the countdown has begun.\u00a0 Gernot Rohr is keeping everything close to his chest.\u00a0\u00a0Last night, after dinner, he allowed the media a last interaction with the players. 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