4th July, 2013
The Nigeria Football Federation, NFF have been advised to focus more on grassroots development as the only way Nigeria can make an impact at the world stage in the future.
This advice was given by the Football Veterans Welfare Association FC of Lagos, through their welfare officer, Toyin Adegoke, while reacting to the early ouster of the Super Eagles of Nigeria at the just concluded 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.
Adegoke, who played for the defunct Concord in the late 80s, told P.M NEWS Sports that the only way Nigeria can make a dominant impact at the world stage soon is for the NFF to go back to the developmental programmes that unearth such players like coach Stephen Keshi, Henry Nwosu, MON, Franklin Howard and Paul Okoku.
The former Ogun State Housing FC player said the Nigerian football authority need to begin to adopt such policies that would ensure discovering of football talents at an early age and their graduation into the various national teams.
“I am impressed with the performance of the Super Eagles at the Confederations Cup especially with what coach Keshi was able to achieve with the crop of players he had to work with.
“For us to qualify for the 2014 World Cup and make impact at the world stage, there is an urgent need for the country to go back to what we used to do in the past, grassroot football development. There should be graduation process in our football. We need to stop the ‘use and dump’ idea we are practising now. Where are the Manga Muhammed, Julius Aghahowa, Pius Ikedia, Rabiu Afolabi and others that we used at the U-20 championship we hosted in 1999? We have used and dumped them while the likes of Sergio Ramos, Cassilas, Xavi Alonso and Villa are still waxing stronger for Spain.
“I could still remember in the 70s under coach Rocky, the then NFA used to have players between ages 12-15 and they were named the Greater Tommorrow.
“These players represented Nigeria at different international tourneys such as the Dallas Cup and Gothia Cup in the USA.
“The best players of the team later graduated into the Flying Eagles and then the Green Eagles. Some of the products of that team are among the big names in our football today. The likes of coach Stephen Keshi, Henry Nwosu, MON, Franklin Howard, Paul Okoku and Dr.Niran Okuribido.”
While commenting on the poor marksmanship in the Eagles, Adegoke suggested the employment of a specialised coach to handle the Eagles’ attackers.
He said: “In as much as we have goalkeepers trainers, I don’t think there is anything wrong in getting a coach to work on our strikers when they are in camp. We should not forget the fact that coach Keshi is renowned in the defence area during his playing career.”
—Bamidele Olowosagba