You may win
all the matches! You may even qualify the country for FIFA world cup, but if
the team doesn’t play the Nigerian way, then you’re toasted as a coach. Nigeria
fans, media and indeed NFF officials will be on your neck until they strangle
you out of the natonal team.
Description
There’s a
way Nigerian teams love to play their football and keep the fans cheering. Afree
flowing style, toasting the ball front and back at the midfield, making
creative dribbles as if playing to the gallery. But pulling the opponent team out
of the rear and then sending a long pass that connects the striker or any of
the wingers, which may eventually result to a goal
Nigerian
teams can be very combatant at midfield and defense, especially when the team loses
the ball. But usually starts attack from the wings and country is blessed with
very fast and vicious attackers. This brand of football is called Yori-yori!
Origin
Yori-yori is
a blend of African physical style of play, flavored with Brazilian samba and
the Dutch free flowing football. You may trace the origin of Yori-yori to some
of the Brazilian and Dutch foreign coaches who were in charge of Nigeria
national teams in the past.
Joe Erico,
popularly known as ‘Jorgo Bonito exponent,’ a renowned coach both at the
national team and club sides in Nigeria, Said: “Otto Gloria was the author of long
pass in Nigeria, which he introduced to take advantage of some fast attackers
in the national team then.” “We all know that Otto Glory is the Brazilian tactician
that first won African Nations Cup for Nigeria in 1980.”
“We also had
Father Tico, a great teacher of Brazilian samba and then, the Dutch duo, Clemence
Westerhof and Johannes Bobfere that also infused some of the Dutch style into
the national team.” Erico further explained.
Features
Yori-yori is
perhaps the most entertaining brand of football in the world that fans easily
connect with. No wonder Nigeria won the most entertaining team at the 1994 FIFA
World cup in USA.
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Goal
celebration is another feature of Yori-yori brand of football, Nigerian players
have some unique ways of celebrating goals – flip back acrobatics, some typical
African dance such as Suo, Galala, Alanta, Azonto…, Some even make motion that
characterize some great animals such as spreading their hands like an eagle’s
wings…
·
Nigeria
football supporters club play a vital role in the display of Yori-yori brand.
Thousands of its members clad in green-white-green uniforms and some in comic
disguises, drum support for the team throughout match duration.
·
Nigeria
fans have some peculiar Yori-yori chants that fire up the team: “ea, ea, ea,
oh, oh oh!” or “All we are saying give us more goals!” these chants seem to
motivate the team to play more to the gallery.
Philosophy
Some
football philosopher say Nigerian brand of football doesn’t follow any
recognizable pattern, but has some stint of mystic ravels. Yori-yori defile all
text book theories and analsis of football science. It is usually difficult for
European and Asian teams to fathom how to contain this style of play.
Sometimes,
the Nigerian team seems to lose concentration and its competitiveness may pile
low for most of the time. Don’t think the team has lost the match. Nigeria
teams have had the most incredible and dramatic come backs in football history.
