Green, Manu warn Golden Eaglets

Barrister Chris Green, the Technical Committee’s Chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), has warned the National Under-17 team not to be carried away with the string of impressive results under their belt including the 5-0 defeat of Junior Wasps of Rwanda in an international friendly match.

The Golden Eaglets had previously won 10 and drew one out of their eleven practice matches against supposedly weaker teams from academies and amateur clubs but they responded with aplomb by thrashing their counterparts from East Africa.

 Nigeria have failed to qualify for the last two editions of the African Youth Championship and Green has told the players that it is about time things change for the better, “It is easy for you to think that you are the best with good results you have recorded so far but we don’t want you to get carried away,” Green told the players.

 “Nigerians and the NFF are happy with you, so you can’t afford to fail the country. We have failed to qualify for the last two editions of the African Under-17 Championship as such, we are expecting so much from you.” He further assured the team every levels of support towards ensuring qualification for both the 2013 CAF Under-17 Championship in Morocco and the 2013 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, assuring the players good welfare packages.

 “Just do your best by winning your matches and leave every other thing for the NFF. President Aminu Maigari is so happy about your results here and he has asked me to tell you ‘not to shift your eyes from the goal of qualification for the forthcoming tournaments,” added Green.

Speaking in the same vein, Head coach Manu Garba (MFR) has told the categorically to forget about the results of previous matches since they would count for nothing if anything untoward happens.

“Everybody loves a winner and the reality is that you are as good as your last result,”Garba told the players in the locker room. “We have won nothing and we don’t want you to think that you have arrived.

We should not forget where we are going, so just forget about all these impressive results over the last months and be focussed on our next match.”