Sports
NFF Top Official Joins Falconets For More Technical Support
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has dispatched its Deputy General Secretary (Technical), Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, to Germany, to strengthen technical and administrative support for Nigeria’s Women Under-20 football team, the Falconets.
The Falconets are in Germany for the on-going 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The team drew 1-1 with England in their first Group C match last Wednesday in Augsburg, where they also beat Japan 2-1 in their second match at the weekend.
The Falconets will face Mexico in their final group game today in Bochum.
Tidesport learnt that Ikpeme, who is a trained psychologist, joined the team at the weekend, after leaving Abuja for Germany.
He joined other team officials such as Mr Stephen Gyebgon, NFF Executive Committee member and leader of delegation; and Mr James Peters, the federation’s Assistant General Secretary (Technical).
A source at the NFF’s Glass House Secretariat, told our source on condition of anonymity, that the federation decided to strengthen technical and administrative support for the team to enable it succeed in the competition.
“We are aware of the team’s need of a win to stay in contention for a quarter-final ticket, and we feel we need a strong hand there to ensure technical matters are put right,’’ he said.
The source also said Ikpeme’s trip was a way of ensuring that technical support to the team’s handlers was not lacking, especially with psychology being Ikpeme’s area of specialisation.
“It is one of the ways Dr Bolaji Ojo-Oba, the NFF General Secretary, does things to ensure we achieve success. He feels Ikpeme will be able to do a good job there.
“And judging from their display at the weekend against Japan, this has proved to be a good decision, and we are hoping to reap more from this advantage in subsequent matches.
“Moreover, Ojo-Oba needs to put right a lot of things at the secretariat, and he feels that the Falconets need a lot of help to be able to do Nigeria proud in Germany,’’ he said.
The source also revealed that the secretary general had been busy lately at the NFF secretariat, coordinating the federation’s administrative activities ahead of the NFF August 21 elective congress.
“Ojo-Oba has been busy lately with so many things ahead of the NFF’s August 21 elections and the national youth teams’ matches scheduled for later this month and next month.
“Moreover, there is the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup coming up in September in Trinidad and Tobago, and there is the need to ensure that plans are put in place for Nigeria ’s success in all these engagements,” the source said.
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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