Don’t Flay Eagles’ W/Cup Exit – Akpoborie

Rather than flay the Super Eagles’ exit from the ongoing World Cup, ex-International, Jonathan Akpoborie says the country should begin immediate preparation for the next edition.

He said that the nation’s penchant for “fire brigade’’ or ad hoc preparations for competitions had accounted for the faltering of its teams at international tournaments.

In an interview in Asaba on Wednesday, Akpoborie called for the sack of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board. 

He said that his call for the sack of the board was due to its “inept administration of football which culminated in poor returns for the country’s huge investment in the game”.

“The Football House, as it is now, is in disarray and needs re-direction by patriotic former footballers and Nigeria has many of them,” Akpoborie said.

The ex-Super Eagles player also called for the probe of the board for allegedly taking chairmen of state Football Associations to South Africa for the World Cup.

He described the purported trip by the FA chairmen as an unnecessary jamboree. 

Akpoborie said that the action, if true, was clearly politically motivated. 

“It was done to prepare grounds for the re-election of the federation President and members,’’ he explained.

The former international advised the Federal Government to initiate a programme for preparation for the next World Cup in 2014 in Brazil. 

“In countries that are serious-minded about their football, preparations for next edition of a competition begin immediately the ongoing one ends. 

“But in our country, we wait until the competition is a few weeks away before we begin to plan and prepare and, quite often, everything goes wrong as it has happened now,” he said.