Sports
Stop Looking For The Next Jay-jay, Okocha Urges Nigerians
Former Super Eagles captain Austin Okocha has stated that the Nigerian obsession with finding a new ‘Jay-Jay’ has to stop.
The same position was echoed by his World Cup teammate Mutiu Adepoju, who has said that there is too much pressure on the national team’s young players.
The 47-year-old Okocha, who retired in 2008, admitted to news men recently that the lack of creative midfielders is holding the current Super Eagles squad back. He however asked that players should be allowed to develop and be themselves.
“We should support these players and let them flourish on their own instead of unfairly putting them under pressure by calling them the next this or that,” said Okocha.
“I think people need to stop the obsession with that new Jay-Jay label because it’s unfair on these young players.”
In recent years Under-17 World Cup winners Rabiu Ibrahim and Kelechi Nwakali, Joel Obi and Alex Iwobi have all been hailed as a successor to Okocha in the Nigerian midfield that many believe lacks flair and creative verve.
Okocha made his debut for Nigeria against the Ivory Coast in 1993, before going onto win Olympic gold three years later and then become the first Nigerian to play in three World Cups in 1994, 1998 and 2002.
The former Bolton, Hull City and PSG midfielder is regarded as one of the finest players to have emerged from the West African nation and his talent saw him win twice crowned the BBC African Footballer of the Year.
Midfielder Adepoju, who also participated in three World Cups with the Super Eagles, agreed that the local media and fans are guilty of putting too much pressure and spotlight on the young players.
“I believe calling young players in the youth teams as next Messi or Jay-Jay Okocha is unfair and unnecessary,” Adepoju who turned 50 this week reportedly said.
“Indulging in this comparison is setting them up for failure because the weight of expectations will definitely affect these players mentally.
“It’s the main reason some players refused to work hard and be themselves because they easily get carried away by what the press was writing about them.”
He says that he has seen plenty of younger talent that has not made the step-up to senior level over the last ten years.
“We’ve seen in the past decade that we have talented players all over the field, who can make our team tick again,” he explained.
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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