We want to produce future Super Eagles -Amuneke
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- Category: Sports
- Written by Orkula Shaagee
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Golden Eaglets Assistant Coach and former Super Eagles left winger Emmanuel Amuneke was last week at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) secretariat where he spoke to SHOT! on the plan by the coaching crew to ensure that those picked for the U-17 team are real Under 17 boys and grow to represent Nigeria at the senior national team level. The former Barcelona FC of Spain attacking winger also said there are abundant quality young footballers in the country who are genuinely eligible to represent Nigeria at the U-17 level. Excerpts:
Nigeria has been world champions of youth football for a number of times without corresponding progress in our football like other countries, what do you think is responsible for this?As I have been saying, when you achieve something, you don’t rely on that in your entire life time but you try as much as you can to improve on your achievement, and also try to see your weak and strong side to ensure continuity.
So, it is very unfortunate that our boys are no longer meeting up in terms of world youth football and nobody is happy with the situation we are in now, but at the same time we have to embrace and welcome the challenge and work towards making progress.
During you playing days in the national team, it was easy for the national team to go and win away matches but today it is very difficult, what do you think is the problem?
The answer is simple, and that is football has improved and other countries have also improved by upgrading and updating the standard of their football, and that is why today there are no minor countries in football again, the way the last Africa Cup of Nations proved this to us.
During the last Nations Cup, countries that people did not expect them to qualify like Botswana, Niger, even Zambia that won it were not given a place by bookmakers but they were there and proved us wrong.
So, we have to be realistic to our selves by waking up from slumber to regain our position in Africa and world football.
Like the proverb which says the road to success is always under construction, we have to be patient and approach all things with all seriousness and dedication for us to be able to succeed; knowing that doing the right thing is a guarantee to success.
We have seeing a lot of players from the under 17 who after a brilliant start we don’t hear about them again, what are you people (coaches) doing this time around to ensure that the players you are going to raise don’t fizzle out after the tournament but last long to serve the senior national teams in future?
I think you have said everything because our main objective is to first discover a young man who has all it takes to be a player and work for the progress of the player.
The problem we had in the previous years was that we always wanted to win and development football is not all about winning.
What we are doing now is to develop a team that will form the bedrock of our future national teams, and once there is an improvement, the team may be able to progress to the next stage and then move to the Super Eagles.
So, we need the support of Nigerians no doubt. When there is s change people are scared there will be changes, but we as coaches have promised to be fair, we intend to do our best, do the right thing and allow those who fall in that category and have what it takes to have an opportunity to represent this country and that is the way I reason and look at it.
What is going to happen, we can’t really predict but the most important thing is that we pray that God Almighty should give us the guidance and sense of reasoning to do what is right so that at the end of the day we will have cause to give Him thanks and glory.
We have been doing the screening and a lot of people have been coming, young and old but you can’t deny anybody anything because you know what you want and the direction you are taking and at the end of it we will do our best.
You played street football in Ajegunle before you were picked to become an international football star, and till date Nigeria still has good players within the country who are in the within the U-17 age bracket. Do you think it is right for anybody to consider bringing in foreign-based for the national U-17 team?
I was with Manu (Garba) today and what he said was that people misquoted him on what he said. I believe that with a country of 150 million people, if you go round the country, you will be able to get good and quality players within the age bracket who will play for the National U-17 team.
Things have change and it is unfortunate that the system did not create an avenue for the younger players to grow and become better players in future, but these are the things we are going to do now, it is not just going to be what you do with your feet because football has gone beyond that.
In everything there is always a temptation and obstacle but we pray that the good Lord will guide us to be able to raise a good team for Nigeria, not just for the Golden Eaglets but for the future, so that as the team progress we count a number of players that will continue to do this country proud.
You are one of the few Nigerian players that have featured for Barcelona, how was it to play for Barcelona and why is it that it is difficult to see Nigerians play for the club these days?
It is still because of what I said earlier, our football has not developed and the game is changing, but if we are able to do what is right by raising players at thy right age and right time, this country will still produce players who will play for big clubs in the world, including Barcelona.
Articles
We want to produce future Super Eagles -Amuneke
Category: Sports Written by Orkula Shaagee Hits: 492
Golden Eaglets Assistant Coach and former Super Eagles left winger Emmanuel Amuneke was last week at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) secretariat where he spoke to SHOT! on the plan by the coaching crew to ensure that those picked for the U-17 team are real Under 17 boys and grow to represent Nigeria at the senior national team level. The former Barcelona FC of Spain attacking winger also said there are abundant quality young footballers in the country who are genuinely eligible to represent Nigeria at the U-17 level. Excerpts:
Nigeria has been world champions of youth football for a number of times without corresponding progress in our football like other countries, what do you think is responsible for this?As I have been saying, when you achieve something, you don’t rely on that in your entire life time but you try as much as you can to improve on your achievement, and also try to see your weak and strong side to ensure continuity.
So, it is very unfortunate that our boys are no longer meeting up in terms of world youth football and nobody is happy with the situation we are in now, but at the same time we have to embrace and welcome the challenge and work towards making progress.
During you playing days in the national team, it was easy for the national team to go and win away matches but today it is very difficult, what do you think is the problem?
The answer is simple, and that is football has improved and other countries have also improved by upgrading and updating the standard of their football, and that is why today there are no minor countries in football again, the way the last Africa Cup of Nations proved this to us.
During the last Nations Cup, countries that people did not expect them to qualify like Botswana, Niger, even Zambia that won it were not given a place by bookmakers but they were there and proved us wrong.
So, we have to be realistic to our selves by waking up from slumber to regain our position in Africa and world football.
Like the proverb which says the road to success is always under construction, we have to be patient and approach all things with all seriousness and dedication for us to be able to succeed; knowing that doing the right thing is a guarantee to success.
We have seeing a lot of players from the under 17 who after a brilliant start we don’t hear about them again, what are you people (coaches) doing this time around to ensure that the players you are going to raise don’t fizzle out after the tournament but last long to serve the senior national teams in future?
I think you have said everything because our main objective is to first discover a young man who has all it takes to be a player and work for the progress of the player.
The problem we had in the previous years was that we always wanted to win and development football is not all about winning.
What we are doing now is to develop a team that will form the bedrock of our future national teams, and once there is an improvement, the team may be able to progress to the next stage and then move to the Super Eagles.
So, we need the support of Nigerians no doubt. When there is s change people are scared there will be changes, but we as coaches have promised to be fair, we intend to do our best, do the right thing and allow those who fall in that category and have what it takes to have an opportunity to represent this country and that is the way I reason and look at it.
What is going to happen, we can’t really predict but the most important thing is that we pray that God Almighty should give us the guidance and sense of reasoning to do what is right so that at the end of the day we will have cause to give Him thanks and glory.
We have been doing the screening and a lot of people have been coming, young and old but you can’t deny anybody anything because you know what you want and the direction you are taking and at the end of it we will do our best.
You played street football in Ajegunle before you were picked to become an international football star, and till date Nigeria still has good players within the country who are in the within the U-17 age bracket. Do you think it is right for anybody to consider bringing in foreign-based for the national U-17 team?
I was with Manu (Garba) today and what he said was that people misquoted him on what he said. I believe that with a country of 150 million people, if you go round the country, you will be able to get good and quality players within the age bracket who will play for the National U-17 team.
Things have change and it is unfortunate that the system did not create an avenue for the younger players to grow and become better players in future, but these are the things we are going to do now, it is not just going to be what you do with your feet because football has gone beyond that.
In everything there is always a temptation and obstacle but we pray that the good Lord will guide us to be able to raise a good team for Nigeria, not just for the Golden Eaglets but for the future, so that as the team progress we count a number of players that will continue to do this country proud.
You are one of the few Nigerian players that have featured for Barcelona, how was it to play for Barcelona and why is it that it is difficult to see Nigerians play for the club these days?
It is still because of what I said earlier, our football has not developed and the game is changing, but if we are able to do what is right by raising players at thy right age and right time, this country will still produce players who will play for big clubs in the world, including Barcelona.