Ex-international Dimeji Lawal has risen in defence of Golden Eaglets head coach Manu Garba following the team’s semi-finals defeat at the WAFU U-17 Nations Cup in Accra, Ghana, The PRIMANEWS reports.
The Eaglets 1-0 defeat to Ivory Coast on Saturday may eventually see them not qualifying for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and ultimately the U-17 World Cup, with CAF yet to clarify if only the finalists (as was the case in the past) or more teams will qualify for the U-17 AFCON as being speculated.
If CAF sticks to the old rule, the young Nigerians will bid the U-17 AFCON, which serves as qualifiers for the World Cup, bye.
Reacting to a Facebook post by our correspondent on Sunday, 3SC General Manager Lawal said the Nigeria Football Federation should be held responsible for the team’s failure for its fire-brigade approach towards preparations for tournaments.
Aside from giving some tutorials, the former Nigeria winger took a swipe at those heaping the blame on Garba.
”Major blame should go to the football house; the fire brigade approach in football doesn’t work again; timely and proper preparation is the key,” the former winger, who represented Nigeria at the 1987 U-17 World Cup in Canada and the 1989 U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, said.
Lawal added, “In my Eaglets, it took us almost two years to get the best from all nooks and corners of Nigeria. We were thoroughly screened and tutored for the competition proper. You have to be the best to make the team. Every time we lose a major tournament, we quickly condemn and castigate our coaches, as if there is perfection in coaching or other jobs.
“Patients do die in the best hospitals, under the guidance of the best surgeons and experts. A game of football must come with three results: win, draw or lose; sometimes the best doesn’t even get the best of results. That’s why it’s a game. Arteta had nothing to show for the season, but Ten Hag won a major trophy.
”Garba is not a novice; he had done brilliantly well in this competition not once but twice. Losing now should not make him a bad coach. This coach also needs some respect and respite.
”Nigerians with the attitude of pride, as if we own every cup, your father’s farm can only be the biggest because you have not seen other people’s farms. In a game of football, you will always be better on the stage.
“Oyinbo will make sure you remain where you are a specialist. A youth coach provides talents on a yearly basis; it’s not supposed to be about results or trophies, but discovering and building. U-17 is not a win-win affair. It’s about building for the future of the Super Eagles.”
Nigeria made a stuttering start to their title defence with a barren draw against Burkina Faso, offered their fans pseudo hope in their second Group B game with a 1-0 win against Niger Republic, and rounded off their preliminary assignment with a plausible 3-0 win over Togo.
But the record five-time world champions failed to live up to the billing in the semi-finals, where the enterprising young Elephants of Ivory Coast ran them ragged in a 1-0 defeat.
