Following Nigeria’s failure to advance from Group B, President Goodluck Jonathan has banned the Super Eagles from international competition for two years, which is a funny way of trying to improve the squad before 2014. Jonathan’s take on Nigeria’s disappointing showing seems entirely rational, however, compared to that of Tony Ubani of All Africa.com :

In the 66th minute of Tuesday’s final group match against South Korea, trailing 2-1 and needing a win to have a shot at advancing, striker Yakubu was set up with an absolutely perfect opportunity right in front of the goal. With the keeper sprawled out beside him and a wide open net waiting to be fed the ball, Yakubu tried to flick the pass in for the astonishingly easy score and he put it wide off the post. He missed.

I still don’t think it was possible, but he missed. Well, he did hit a water bottle, but that doesn’t count for anything. Since then, I have not rested for the silly mistake of Yak. He has made me to be answering questions that I don’t know. Nigerians and Africans, too, have been attributing the miss to Native Doctors, or a spell. One said boldly that it was not for nothing that he missed the chance. I am not an authority in such mundane trivial things of ‘tying’ the players’ legs as is being suggested here. Some claimed that some native doctors were ferried to South Africa from Nigeria by Nigerians to ensure that Sani Lulu and his group of traveling members in the NFA do not use the glory of the World Cup by the Eagles to climb back to the glass house. Others have insinuated that it is retribution. That the Eagles and NFA and indeed Nigerians reaped what they sowed by kicking out Amodu Shuaibu from his post after suffering to qualify Nigeria for the World Cup.

Players who shoot wide pass the blame on the jabulani while goalkeepers who fumbled point at the Jabulani. Yakubu has not said anything on his infamous miss but don’t be surprised that one day he would either blame the jabulani or agree that external forces misdirected the ball from the yawning net.