By Augustine Kalu on January 19, 2017

2016 has come and gone with all its ups and downs particularly as it affects the country’s opium – football, the only unifying factor in our national life as it were. This is so because it is only through this game that Nigerians put aside their differences and come together to rally support for the National teams whenever they are defending our national colours.

Based on what transpired in the out gone year, many stakeholders have been baring their minds and one of them is former national team Captain and Coach, Christian Chukwu. In an exclusive interview with Daily Sports during the week, Chukwu said 2016 was a mixed bag as the country had both positive and negative experiences.

According to him, in terms of the domestic league, the country made progress but he explained that there is still room for improvement. He explained that where the country had her worst performance was with the national team culminating in Eagles’ failure to qualify for the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations for second time in a roll.

“Well, the out gone year is a mixed bag for Nigerian football. It is a mixed bag in the sense that some achievements were made while some failures were also recorded,” Chukwu declared.

“In terms of the domestic league we made tremendous progress considering how the league was administered. And based on the way the league was ran last season, there wasn’t much complains unlike what used to happen and it also helped for the true champions to emerge and as can attested by everybody. Because of the way the league was administered everybody is happy with the outcome.

“Having said that I believe that we still have a lot to do to improve the league and make it better. There is still room for improvement despite the progress recorded last season. I just want to call on the LMC to continue with the good work,” Chukwu advised.

Speaking further, Chukwu explained that the country’ failure to qualify for the Nations Cup was the sour point of the country’s football experience last year. He said that Eagles to qualify for this year’s AFCON has negative effect on the national team as they would have used the opportunity of the continental premier football showpiece to blend as a team.

He, therefore, called on the team to work extra hard to ensure that they make use of that disappointment positively by getting the sole ticket of Group B of the African Zone of the World Cup Qualifier.

“On the country’s football or national teams, I think that we had a very difficult time last year. It was last year that our Under-17 could not qualify for Africa Under-17 Championship and the Flying Eagles could not qualify for the Africa Youth Championship. And the most painful aspect being that we failed to qualify on our soil despite having defeated Sudan in Khartoum but they came and defeated us with the away goal rule. It was sad I must tell.

“It was the same last year that the Flamingoes could not score a goal throughout their preliminary matches at the FIFA Women Under-17 World Cup in Papua New Guinea. And as if that was not enough, the Falconets who played in the final of the FIFA Women Under-20 World Cup could not go beyond the preliminary stage.

“Of all these sad moments, I think the worst was our inability to qualify for this year’s Nations Cup for the second time in a roll. It has never happened before but then it has happened. We can only learn from this experience and ensure that it does not repeat itself.

“Our absence in this year AFCON is a very big setback for the Super Eagles because they would have used the opportunity created by the tournament to blend as a team. As we speak, the Super Eagles are yet to be a team. What we have is individual talents who are doing well for their club and country.

“I would want to use this opportunity to advise the team not to allow this disappointment of failure to qualify for the AFCON for the second year running affect them negatively rather they should see it as a challenge and motivation to ensure we secure the sole ticket of our group of the Africa Zone of the World cup Qualifier to make for our failure in AFCON,” Chukwu said.   

Speaking further he picked out the Super Falcons’ victory at last year’s edition of the Africa Women Cup of Nations as the greatest achievement of the country’s football. He said despite the country’s inability to qualify for the Nations Cup, the victory of the Super Falcons in Cameroon succeeded in putting smiles on the faces of Nigerians. Chukwu, however, condemned in the strongest term the inability of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to pay the women their entitlements resulting to the national and international embarrassment.

He, however, reiterated the call for the football house to prioritise their activities in order not to put the country into the embarrassment that their inability to pay the Super Falcons their entitlements put the country late last year. He challenged them to always make sure that they register for championships that they have the financial capacity to prosecute with the sole aim of winning it.

“Having said that, I don’t think that it was all bad news for Nigerian Football last year despite all I have enumerated as our sour points in the game. I think the Super Falcons victory in Cameroon in Africa Women Cup of Nation gave us something to cheer. Our gallant women made history by winning the championship for a record eight times out of ten times it has been staged.

“Our women achieved victory for us in Cameroon despite all the landmines placed on their way before, during and after the tournament. We must give our women kudos for putting smiles on our faces by winning the AWCON for the unprecedented 8th time out of 10th time of the championship.

“My sadness in the whole Super Falcons gallantry was the way the women were treated. It was very sad that the NFF couldn’t pay them their entitlements after having laid down their lives for the country.

“And that reminds me, I want to reiterate my earlier call on the football house to prioritize their activities in order to avoid what happened after the AWCON championship in Cameroon.

“I have said it time without number that it is not compulsory that the NFF must enter for every competition. There is no FIFA rule that says that Nigeria or any country must enter for all of its competitions. If they prioritize their activities they should be able to pay the players and officials their entitlements,” Chukwu advised.

Source Daily Sports

Posted January 19, 2017

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