31st October, 2012
Assistant Coach of the Golden Eaglets, Nduka Ugbade, has warned the national U-17 team not to throw caution to the winds, as they trade tackles with their Malian counterparts in the final round of the qualifiers for 2013 African U-17 Championship.
Eaglets, last Sunday walloped the U-17 team of Guinea 4-0 in Conakry in the second leg of the qualifiers to the cadet championship, having secured a 3-0 lead in the first leg tie decided in Calabar.
Speaking on Tuesday, the former Golden Eaglets’ skipper warned the team not to dwell on their victory over the Guineans, adding that their focus at the moment should be on their next tie against Mali.
“The match against Guinea has come and gone and I think it will be a misplacement of priority on the part of the team if they are still dwelling on that at this time. Our priority should be the next match in order to feature at the African championship proper,” said Ugbade.
Ubade said further that it is not yet proper for football loving Nigerians to start praising the team, warning that the idea can cause distractions for the youngsters.
“I think it is too early to praise the team at this stage of the qualification despite their excellent performance against the Guineans in their last game. This can cause distraction because they still have a lot to put in place before they go for the tournament next year.
“This is not the time to celebrate because we still have both the African Championship and the World Cup ahead of us. I think the proper thing is to start the celebration after we have conquered the continent and the world,” concluded Ugbade.
—BIMBO AJAYI