Lawal Lashes At Eaglets’ Critics.

Former Super Eagles’ midfielder, Garba Lawal has categorically stated that the budding Golden Eaglets need encouragement rather than criticism ahead of their qualifiers for African Under-17  Youth Championship to be hosted by Morocco in 2013.

Lawal,  Team’s Coordinator when the Golden Eaglets were runners up at the 2009 FIFA World Cup hosted by Nigeria but won by Switzerland, is miffed about the incessant discourse bothering  on allegation of  over aged players which  according to him, could affect the overall psyche of the team.  

“Frankly, the new Golden Eaglets under Coach Garba Manu is on the right course,” explained the former Nigerian International who is a member of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Committee. “We need to commend the excellent manner they have selected the players and I think it’s only the mischief makers that have not seen anything good in what they are doing.

 

“I think this is the team all Nigerians need to rally behind and offer constructive criticism if need be rather than destroy the good job being done by the coaching crew,” added Lawal.

 
He said  the new Golden Eaglets under Coach Garba Manu was on the right course and the team's technical crew need to be commended based on  the excellent manner they have selected the players. 

“The Golden Eaglets should serve as the bedrock of other levels of the nationals teams consequently we need to support the genuine efforts of the NFF at ensuring that the right players are picked for this category,” noted Lawal, a scorer of that beautiful angular goal against legendary goalkeeper, Andoni Zubizarreta in Nigeria’s 3-2 defeat of Spain at the France’98 World Cup. “The Golden Eaglets are the future stars and we need to give them all the necessary support.”

Nigeria failed to qualify for the last two editions of the African Under-17 Championship hosted by Algeria and Rwanda in 2009 and 2011  but the team has been undergoing a rebuilding process since February when a screening  was conducted for about 3,000 players at the FIFA/NFF Goal Project Centre in Abuja. 

The 40 successful players were later camped for one month in Calabar in May and are expected back in camp soon ahead of their First Round game against Niger in September.

The team have been drawn against neighbouring Niger in one of the First Round matches towards the 10th African Under 17 Championship with their  First Leg match scheduled for Niamey during  the weekend of  September 7-9 and the reverse fixture at home  on  the weekend of September 21-23.