Sports
Fans Express Disappointment In Home-based Eagles
Home based Super Eagles led by ex-international, Daniel Amokachi last weekend failed to qualify for the second African Nations Championship slated for Sudan for the second time.
This followed the team’s goalless draw against the Mena of Niger at the Sanni Abacha Stadium, in Kano.
The Eagles needed to score three unreplied goals against Niger to qualify for the tournament afte losing the first leg encounter in Niamey 2:0.
Chibuzor Okoronkwo, had a golden opportunity of at least ensuring that Nigeria scored a goal, via the penalty spot but he missed it.
Not even the six minutes added time could make any difference, as the resolute visitors ensured their defence and goal were not breached.
It would be recalled that prior to Angola 2010 Nations Cup, erstwhile Super Eagles Coach Amodu Shaibu stated categorically that no home based player would make his squad, because they were not good enough. This statement raised dust from different quarters.
While, it seems Shaibu Amodu has been vindicated by the home based Eagles, fans are divided in their opinions concerning the statement accredited to former Eagles’ coach.
Wobo said, Nigeria has the potentials and quality players in the local league that can rule not only Africa, but the world. He went further to say that Heartland FC of Owerri reached last season CAF champion league. Kano Pillars and Bayelsa United both reached the semi-finals of CAF champions league and Confederation Cup respectively.
And about 90% of players in these clubs that achieved these facts are Nigerians that ply their trade in our league.
He believes that the Home based Eagles failed to qualify because they were hurriedly put together. There was no time for early preparation and blending of the players.
In his reaction, Onyekachi, a football fan, should accept the fact that our league is poorly organized, thus given rise to poor players. According to him, twice we have failed to qualify for the same tournament. It simply means that our home-based players are not good enough, he stated.
“I don’t even watch Nigerian League, because of the high rate of insecurity at the stadium, no live telecast of the matches etc. How would I know if we have the potentials or not? He queried.
However, some fans expressed utter disappointment over the outcome of theCHAN qualifier when they said, they were highly disappointed that a country whose league is rated as the best in Africa could not qualify for a tournament meant for players in African League.
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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