Owolabi Wants Blueprint On Sports Dev

Ex-international, Felix Owolabi, has appealed to the Sports Ministry and the Ministry of Education to close ranks for the development of the country’s budding sports talents.

Owolabi made the remark in an interview with newsmen at the weekend in Lagos.

He added that a concise blueprint for grassroots sports development must be drawn up by the sports ministry, to serve as a roadmap for the programme.

According to him, the programme will ensure that an accurate data bank is put in place to ascertain the true age of budding football talents.

“The policy for the collaborative programme between the two ministries should be drawn up by the NSC.

“The NSC should deploy its coaches into all the nooks and crannies of the country, to ensure that the right kind of football talents are discovered.

“Through such a painstaking process, we are bound to come up with potential world beaters, to keep the age grade cadre very busy,’’ Owolabi said.

On the current strides of the Super Eagles in the international football scene, the 1980 AFCON winner, with then Green Eagles, urged the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) to sustain the tempo.

He stressed that Stephen Keshi would have to emphasise the need for discipline and determination by his players, to sustain their supremacy.

“With determination and wholehearted commitment, the team would surely maintain its status as the champions of Africa.

“With the best tactical approach in subsequent matches, the team will get better”.