NFF Fires Eaglets Warning

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has warned the Golden Eaglets to be up and coming least they would be shown the exit.

Smarting from the team's runner-up finish at the 2013 CAN Under-17 Championship, the NFF has categorically told the  coaching crew not to condone any undisciplined conduct  ahead of the 2013 World Cup in the UAE.

This much was stressed by the top officials of the technical department of the NFF at a session with the team the morning after the debacle in Marrakech even as they stressed that

" As a Federation, we want to thank the coaching crew and the backroom staff for bringing these boys to this level because qualifying for the World Cup  as well as  coming second was  not a mean feat,” noted Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, Director Technical  at the NFF.

“ But having said that, the NFF would not condone any act of irresponsibility from any player because we want to build a virile national team and since this is the basis of all the national team.”

Ikpeme, a trained sports psychologist who has been part and parcel of the team from the start, frowned at the conduct of some players during the duel against Cote d’Ivoire where defender Izu Omego earned a red card and midfielder, Chidiebere Nwakali collapsed under the weight of
expectation with a terrible penalty kick.

“  Personally, I won’t feel good without saying this because we  threw away the opportunity of becoming African champions at this level because of the irresponsible behaviours and specifically,  this issue of red card and the penalty kick really bother everybody,” he saidwhile admonishing the players to put in their best at any given opportunity.

Coach Siji Lagunju, the Chief Technical officer at the NFF, who supervise d the team’s during their camping at the Aspire Academy for Sports Excellence in Doha and at the championship proper in Marrakech, equally advised  the players to take the bull by the horns towards the 2013 Under-7 World Cup in the UAE in October.