Sports
Maradona Hits Back At Critics
Diego Maradona hit out at critics of his coaching after his Argentina team qualified for the World Cup and said he had issues to discuss with the head of the country’s football federation.
“For those who didn’t believe in this national team, for those who treated me like garbage (I say) today Wednesday we are in the World Cup with all the honours, beating a team like Uruguay,” Maradona said.
Argentina secured their berth at the 2010 finals in South Africa with a 1-0 away win over arch-rivals Uruguay at the Centenario, scene of the first World Cup final in 1930.
“I am black or white, I’ll never be grey in my life,” Maradona, who in Argentine eyes could do no wrong as a player, said as he criticised the media for inventing stories about differences within the national team staff.
Maradona has been under fire for most of the qualifying matches since he took charge a year ago, for inconsistencies in selection and tactical errors that left Argentina on the brink of failing to qualify.
He lost four matches and won four, including the last two against Peru and Uruguay that left Argentina in the last of South America’s four automatic qualifying berths behind Brazil, Paraguay and Chile.
Fifth-placed Uruguay play off next month against Costa Rica, of the CONCACAF region, for another place.
A week ago, Maradona gave the impression there were divisions in the national team staff, suggesting in Buenos Aires that preparations to face Peru on Saturday had not run smoothly.
He said he would only stay on for the finals on his terms, but a few days later accused the media of inventing his possible resignation.
On Wednesday, he allowed a similar doubt to fill the air when, in answer to a question about whether he would be in charge of Argentina in South Africa, Maradona would only say: “I need to talk to (Argentine Football Association president Julio) Grondona.”
He reserved his praise for his players and the small group of fans, less than 2,000, who crossed the River Plate from Buenos Aires to support the team in a stadium packed with close to 60,000 Uruguayans baying for Argentine blood.
“I want to thank the whole squad for having given me the privilege of taking Argentina to the World Cup and the people, who crossed the pond.”
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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