Sports
Nigerians Renew Calls For New Eagles Coach
Following Super Eagles’ loss to Syli Stars of Guinea in Sunday’s Nations Cup qualifier, some football enthusiasts have renewed the call for a competent coach for the team.
Some of the enthusiasts told newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday that it was high time a competent coach was appointed.
Mr Gabriel Abakpa, an Asokoro resident, said that it was time to end the gimmick in the appointment of Samson Siasia as the substantive coach for the Super Eagles.
“Let’s get someone who understands the mentality of the local players to handle the team and build a structure for our football.
“In my opinion, Samson Siasia possesses all these qualities to take us to the next level; he can do it, he took us to the Olympics and made us proud,” Abakpa said.
He faulted the tactics of coach Austin Eguavoen for the team’s defeat in last Sunday’s game in Conakry.
“I believe that if the coach was technically sound enough he could have effected changes that would have turned the game around in Nigeria’s favour.
“So it still could be blamed on the coach because he didn’t know what to do at a particular time; his over-reliance on certain players had no impact on the team,” he added.
He, however, said Nigerian football needed a total overhaul for the country to regain its lost glory.
“Once they build a structure for the Super Eagles, I can tell you that our football will get to the next level,’’ he said.
On his part, Ossom Raphael, another Abuja resident, said the technical crew of the team was not effective in the game.
He said a change would be the best thing, but advised the authorities to be cautious about it.
“I think it’s high time we did something about our coach; I feel we should go for one with class, not necessarily a foreign coach, we can make do with a local coach,” he said.
Ossom, however, said the football house could not be entirely absolved of blame over the dismal performance in Conakry on Sunday.
“I think the crisis rocking the football house contributed to the performance of the Super Eagles in Conakry last Sunday; it also affected them psychologically,” he said.
Mr Jacob Nimzing, a sports journalist in Abuja, said that it was time to give the home-based players a chance in the new team.
“I believe the home-based players can do better if they are encouraged, particularly if they are camped for a good time, and with the right technical inputs they can deliver,” he said.
The Tidesports source reports that the Super Eagles trail Guinea in second position with three points from two matches in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria ( SWAN) Rivers State Chapter has set up five standing working committees on Tuesday, in its general congress.
At the playoff held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club, Onikan, the team of Canice Abua, Michael Emmanuel, Daniel Adeleye, and Abubakar Yusuf was majestic as they restored Nigeria’s hope in a sport that once gave the country so much joy.
Speaking after the final game, Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF) President, Victor Ochei, said the Davis Cup feat is the stepping stone to better days in the sport, adding that the federation has set up programmes that will help the budding talents across the country play at the same level as their counterparts in other tennis-developed countries.
Ochei said: “The whole aim of having this new board is to lift the sport to the level we used to be. I tell you, tennis is taking a new shape in Nigeria. We are putting everything and anything to make that work happen.”
Ochei said that the NTF has looked at sponsorships and how to get the emerging players compete at the same level with their peers elsewhere, adding that the federation is working on organising local competitions and helping the players to compete in international championships.
“We believe that with what we are doing now, sponsors will come to us to organise new competitions. But beyond that, there’s a strategic growth development plan, a 10-year development plan, which the board is working on.
“The programme will ensure that we catch them young. This is because we believe that to create champions, we must start grooming them early. The champions you are seeing today were those groomed yesterday.”
“The process of building new champions will include building the coaches, the players, the infrastructure and sensitising the parents so that we can start catching them as young as age five to six.
“By the time that we groom them through 10 years of training, at age 15, 16, you will see fantastic professional players.”
To achieve the federation’s plans, Ochei admits that the NTF needs a lot of investment, adding that the board is working at realising the funds quietly and tenaciously.
The NTF president acknowledged the contributions of former international stars like Nduka Odizor and Sadiq Abdullahi to the bid to rejuvenate Nigerian tennis, adding that NTF is open to collaborating with former players who know what it takes to play at the highest level of the sport.
He said, “Nduka Odizor is around as one of our VIP personalities. He has been psyching up the boys in the battle with Uzbekistan. He will not enter the court to play, but his mere presence is enough motivation to the boys, who will want to be like him in the future.
“You see, the type of support the Odizors, the Imonities and the Abdullahis got in their time is no longer there, but we are revamping it with the support of our stakeholders in the Diaspora.
“It will appear to take us some time, but I can tell you that the Diaspora support is massive.”
In its bid to get good results in this year’s Commonwealth Games, the National Sports Commission (NSC) has disbursed N200 million as training grants to 26 athletes.
The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be held in Glasgow, Scotland.
The NSC stated that the grants were disbursed through its Elite and Podium Board, noting that N200 million was allocated to select top-performing athletes.
The beneficiaries are both foreign-based and home-based, the NSC said, adding that it will cater for their training and preparation expenses.
According to the NSC, the recipients span several sports, including athletics, wrestling, weightlifting, and para-sports, in line with the Commission’s mandate to prioritise athletes’ welfare and high-performance development.
The Commission added that the disbursement follows the establishment of the Elite and Podium Board, created to implement a scientific and institutionalised support system aimed at sustaining peak performances by Nigerian athletes at major international competitions.
NSC Director General, Bukola Olopade, said the Commission, under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was established to restore confidence and provide renewed hope for Nigerian sportsmen and women by placing strong emphasis on athlete welfare.
“The training grants disbursed to 26 athletes across different sports followed a careful and professional selection process by the Yusuf Ali-led Elite and Podium Board. This is our way of reassuring our athletes that their welfare remains our utmost priority,” he said.
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