Flying Eagles Lacked Institutional Support- Fashola

As the poor showing of the Flying Eagles in the just-concluded FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt continues to be subject of debate and analysis, Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola has absolved the players and coach from blame saying they lacked “institutional support”.
Fashola, an ardent football fan who was speaking at the inauguration of the board of the Lagos State Sports Endowment Fund also said the players flopped because of societal problems that were beyond their control.
According to the governor, the failure of Samson Siasia and his team in Egypt was not that “Nigerian players lacked the talent, rather it was because there was no institutional support for them from home. “If the players do not get sponsorship to go out, sponsorship to cover their air and travel costs, coaching fees, their hotel costs, cost of their kits, they can’t improve in tournaments just as it is happening in other jurisdictions”.
The newly inaugurated board of the Lagos State Sports Endowment Fund is headed by Wale Edun, a former Commissioner for Finance in the state during the immediate past administration.