9th May, 2013
A former Benfica FC Coach, Mr Sergio Daniel, has said that Nigeria is a rich country with many talents in sports, especially in football, which could be invested in.
Daniel told the News Agency of Nigeria NAN in Abuja that a lot of grassroots players needed to be given opportunity to play for the national team. He said that there were many talents at the grassroots who were not utilised.
According to him, scouting for players for some clubs in Europe has made me realise that Nigeria is not only rich in resources but also in sports talents.
“This is a rich country, there are so much talents here that can be invested in if the necessary things are put in place,” he said.
The Benfica former coach said he wondered why most of his grassroots players are yet to be in the national team in spite of the fact that they are good.
Daniel said that politics should not be involved in selection of sportsmen and women.
“If you have such talents, why don’t you do all the necessary things to bring them together?’’ he asked.
Daniel said that sports could go a long way to improve the economy of the country if it is given all the necessary concentration.
The coach has gone round the 36 states to search for good players, after some month of scouting; only 25 players are selected who will go for further training in Portugal.