Sports
Younger Players’ ll Enhance S’ Eagles’ Performance – Disu
The Technical Director, Lagos Junior League (J-League), Tunde Disu, yesterday called for more inclusion of home-bred youngsters in the national senior team, Super Eagles to enhance their performance.
Disu made the clarion call in an interview with newsmen while commenting on Wilfred Ndidi who was awarded the Leicester City FC’s Young Player of the Year.
Tidesports source reports that Ndidi, a product of the Lagos State sponsored J-League was recently awarded the Young Player of the Year by the last year’s winners of the English Premier League.
Disu also commended Genort Rohr, the Super Eagles Technical Adviser, for including three home-based players – MFM FC’s duo of Stephen Odey and Sikiru Olatunbosun and Akwa United’s Alhassan Ibrahim in the national team.
Reflecting on how the youngsters could be helpful in the Super Eagles’ squad, Disu said that the blend of young bloods from the local league with experience of older players would enhance the team’s performance.
“The Super Eagles need young bloods like Ndidi in the senior team which I believe will give the necessary blend the team needs to prosecute matches and achieve better performance.
“Experience has shown that these youngsters have passion for the game and they are more resilient in their approach to national engagements.
“Overtime some of the youngsters that broke into the national teams perform better than the older ones because the level of their productivity is still high.
“I will like to see some of the home-grown talents being called up to the national team. We have many of their likes in the J-League,’’ he said.
Disu said that the J-League had produced players that could be regarded as world class, adding that some of the products of the league were making waves in Europe.
“Lagos J-League is a worthy example of grassroots academy that has produced world class footballers. Some of the graduates of the league are exceptional.
“We already have players such as Ndidi, Victor Osihimien, Taiwo Awoniyi, Stephen Odey and Dele Alampasu among others who can be regarded as the standing Eagles.
“There is no need of tagging them future stars; they should start to play now because this is the time the nation needs their youthful energy to perform.
“The inclusion of these youngsters will ensure better performance and results for the Eagles,’’ he said.
Disu said that the J-League would soon start and that he expected more super talents to be discovered during the season.
“The J-League will soon start and we are already screening the footballers. I hope to see more super stars discovered when we start the league.
“Within its short time in the football stage, the league is already making waves and I can attest to the fact that the league is one of the best organised junior leagues in Africa.
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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