Former CHAN Eagles goalkeeper, Theophilus Afelokhai has slammed the NFF and the Technical Department for the poor preparation of the U23 Eagles ahead of their Nations Cup qualifying match against Guinea, Today.
Afelokhai, who also represented Nigeria at the level, criticized the shoddy planning by the NFF, and also decried the poor treatment of players, after they do the hard work of surmounting the tasks with very little support.
“The truth is that the preparations right now isn’t adequate for them (U23 Eagles), let’s come out and say the truth.
“Lack of preparation for tournaments is affecting our football as a Country, we see how other Nations prepare; two or three months ahead, but here in Nigeria, Players are invited to camp a week or two before crucial games,” he told Brila FM.
The former Rivers United goalkeeper also suggested that Nigerian teams excel mainly out of grit and determination.
Afelokhai believes teams are generally poorly supported and mostly ill-prepared for competitions, but the drive for success is why National Teams achieve any degree of success.
“The truth is if you see Nigeria go far in any tournament, it’s not the preparation, let me tell you the truth, it is the heart of the players.
“A player wants to play out his heart to get a better club, it is not the preparation, let us tell ourselves the truth. We are just patching things in this country.
“By the time the guys now go and come back, God forbid they don’t get a good result, we start blaming them.”
“Let us check things from the start, what kind of preparation do they get? Nothing, That is the truth. But, when the boys come out with all their hearts and play to qualify, yet they don’t get their dues either; allowances aren’t paid.
“They will drop them off at the airport and give them paltry sums and send them off on their way, and that’s in spite all the’ve sacrificed for their country.”
“The truth is that if those boys (U23 Eagles) scale through and qualify, it is not the preparation, it is the heart, not the preparations, take it from me.”
