Injured Golden Eaglets Star Oluwatimilehin Salutes Teammates on World Cup Qualification, as Disappointing 4th Place Finish Generates Backlash News

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Injured Golden Eaglets Star Oluwatimilehin Salutes Teammates on World Cup Qualification, as Disappointing 4th Place Finish Generates Backlash

By Daily Sports on April 30, 2019

Nigerian international U17 Right Back Adeniyi Oluwatimilehin Lawrence has congratulated his Golden Eaglets teammates on the team’s qualification for the cadet World Cup scheduled to hold in Brazil later this year.

In his words, the IB Sports Dreams FC player said: “This injury may have kept me from fighting together on the pitch with you my fellow warriors, but my heart and soul is with you all. Congratulations brothers. Let’s go and make Nigeria proud. I am back on my feet, we will conquer the world together.”

Oluwatimilehin was an integral part of Manu Garba’s Golden Eaglets and scored Nigeria’s fourth goal against Cote d’Ivoire in their 5-1 victory against their rivals during the WAFU B Championship in Niger. He is recovering fast after his surgery and is expected to be back on the pitch again soon.

The Nigeria Golden Eaglets limped to a 4th placed finish at the cadet African Nations Cup in Tanzania, prompting worries about their chances at the Mundial in Brazil.

There have been a litany of reasons and accusations given for the wobbly finish of the team ranging from poor and corrupt team selections, poor motivation from the NFF and a big question mark on the ability of coach Manu Garba to lead a team of true Under-17 players, made so by the strict application MRI age scan to ensure only players within the age bracket of 17 years old are used by countries so as to forestall age cheating.

Writing in yesterday’s column for Daily Sports, blunt and hard-hitting columnist Victor Enyinnanya said of the Golden Eaglets: “...everything must be put in place to get this Eaglets team to winning ways as nothing other than such focus would be good enough. (The) Eaglets..... must not be rubbished by .... not too qualified and oftentimes bribe-taking coaches parading themselves as best we can get. Golden Eaglets must rise up again.”

There have been reports on alleged in-fighting within the corridors of power of Nigerian football over featuring highly rated foreign-based players in the Under-17 AFCON. Adrian Akande of Chelsea specifically was mentioned as the subject of the tug of war.

Also, super talented Lateef Omididji, another foreign based youngster was controversially dropped from the AFCON squad and the young lad is reported to have been fed up with what he sees as the corruption involved in players selection.

However nothing should detract from the young talented ones that have represented the country and Oluwatimilehin is one of them who hopefully can recover from the cruel turn of faith that is this injury to feature in Brazil and have a successful professional football career.

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