Sports
Coach Expresses Joy Over NFF Suspension Escape
The Head Coach of Dia
mond Football Club of Port Harcourt, Nana Ben Peters has expressed joy over the escape of The Nigeria football Federation (NFF) from indefinite suspension by the international football governing body, FIFA.
He said that if Nigeria were suspended, it would have been a big blow to the Nigeria football federation most especially the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), adding that, footballers players in the NPFL would have gone to other countries to play their football.
Ben peters stated this, in an telephone interview, with Tide sports after the federal government wrote to FIFA that Amajupinnick led executive of the NFF.
FIFA had threatened to suspend Nigeria from all international competition if Nigeria football federation President, Amaju Pinnick and General Secretary, Mohammed Sanusi were not given and their offices by 12 noon, Monday, August 2018.
An intervention by the federal government with a letter sent to FIFA on Monday morning to intimate the world soccer ruling body of their support for AmajuPinnick led executive of the NFF prevented the ban.
Coach Nana Ben Peters explained that he was particularly delighted when he heard the news that Nigeria has heard the news that Nigeria was not suspended.
“To be honest I was a bit worried with the whole issue but not anymore” the head coach said.
According to him, he is happy because of the players the suspension would have affected, adding that now we can work on improving the game in Nigeria and the NPFL can restart as well.
He called on all the stake- holders to come together and look for the good of the game, adding that the youth should have suffered, if Nigeria were to be banned, because of the misunderstanding in the NFF.
“ I’m happy for the players in particular who could have been affected by the ban and the youth too” Nana Ben Peter stated.
FIFA in a statement issued on Monday stated that the suspension of the NFF will not take effect after Pinnick and Sanusi were given back effective control of the NFF and its offices.
Kiadum Edookor
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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