The Irony of Football

In most competition with an ultimate trophy, when it comes to football, especially where national teams are concerned; there's always a winner, the first-runner up and the second runner up. Naturally we would expect them to be happy according to their position but that is not at all the case. It may be funny, yet it's depressing.

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Why is this so? The first runner up were given a fair chance to win the tournament but they lost, they feel they had it within their grasp and they could as well have been the winner, all has been set for their hitherto-imminent victory by their supporters but it all went down the drain. Hence, the pain, the tears, the anguish, the regret of not doing it differently sets in and they always feel dejected while being decorated as the first runner up. Conversely, the second runner up has already been given its own 'unfair' share of the desolation so they see it as a consolation and go home happy

The team who gets hit the most is the third runner up, I mean they end up feeling worse than those who did not qualify for the tournament at all, let alone those who were eliminated in the group stages. The pain of having to lose twice especially when you had a chance to go to the finals is definitely a hard pill to swallow and devastating. I mean, no one in the tournament gets beaten twice, except them. There is no explanation for the failure nor an alibi for their absence in the top 3.

Sadly Nigeria is faced with such a situation against Ivory Coast tomorrow. We have already been heartbroken I don't think we have done anything to deserve another heartbreak. These boys should give it their all and prevent an all-out catastrophic event. Maybe we the supporters will experience a tinge of happiness if they eventually win the match and go home with something. Tomorrow it is