SIASIA RAISES WORLD CUP ALARM

SIASIA RAISES WORLD CUP ALARM

Posted: Apr 23, 2013

Former Super Eagles coach Samson Siasia in this interview with BAMIDELE BOLUWAJI, urges the  football house  to resolve the crisis between coach and players before June. He also hails the Golden Eaglets performance at the CAF U-17 tournament in Morocco

oach, quite some time.

Yes my brother, we are grateful to God for still counting us worthy to be alive and doing well.

What is happening to Samson Siasia and what have you been doing since you left the Super Eagles?

Nothing much is happening to me since I left the national team, I have been working on number of things and I can tell you that I have just been appointed as the Administrator of Bayelsa State Football Academy. It is a project that will soon help the state to discover hidden talents for the nation. We have started working and I am hopeful that very soon, it will materialize and the whole world will see that Bayelsa has something to offer.

What is the scope of this project like?

We are to source or discover talents, nurture them and make them realise the God-given talents in them. It is not a thing that will start manifesting immediately… no. There are some processes involved and with the support of the State government, I can tell you that we are going to achieve a lot.

A lot has happened since Nigeria won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, misunderstanding between the coach and some players, NFA against the coach and many more...

Nobody will be happy seeing things like these happening to our football; it was a big struggle to win the Nations Cup, so why are all these happening to us again? First, I think we need to learn how to manage success and also learn from some developed countries and see how we can transform the Nations Cup success to something bigger. I think the FA really has a lot to do to make sure that everything is put in place on time.

To what extent do you think the fight between Keshi and the Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo can affect the Super Eagles’ World Cup dream?

Definitely, it will affect the team’s World Cup dream if necessary steps are not taken on time. We heard that there was going to be peace talk but up till now, it has not happened and the issue has not been resolved. So the FA officials have a lot to do to make sure that everything is resolved on time. Nigeria can’t afford not to be in Brazil for the World Cup and I can tell you that some lovers of Nigerian football are already waiting to see the team in Brazil.

June is going to be a very busy month for the Super Eagles, what are your expectations from the players?

Of course…excellent performance just like every other Nigerian. They need to train well and be together for a period of time and at the same time, the issues on ground must be resolved. We need to beat Kenya in Nairobi to regain the points we lost in Calabar; and not only Kenya, the players should also work hard to beat Namibia so that  the 6 points at stake will be good enough to boost the World Cup ticket but really, I don’t see Nigeria missing out in the World Cup.

But do you see Super Eagles beating Kenya in Nairobi?

Why not? It is quite possible but the players need to be well determined and plan properly. The Kenyans came here and got a draw and  we can as well go there and beat them.


Emmanuel Emenike is back in the team, what are your expectations from him?

My expectation is for him to do his best and let Nigerians know the contributions he can still make to the team. We saw him at the Nations Cup in South Africa and I believe Nigerians expect more from him.

The Super Eagles have few matches to play in the qualifying series to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, do you foresee any obstacle?

Obstacle? I don’t foresee any, though the qualifier is at a stage where no team is ready to lose a point again. So we just need to realise that and work hard to avoid losing more points.

How will you react to the recent disagreement between Keshi and NFF?

I want to call it a case of misunderstanding and I think both parties should just come together and work as one body. We need unity in the national team so that both the players and the coaches can be focused. We need the 2014 World Cup ticket and we should work hard towards it.

Don’t you think that the recent downsizing in the national team could affect the Super Eagles’ future campaigns?

Well, I don’t know why they took that decision but it is more of administrative matters and only the FA can explain that.
We were told recently that you applied for the post of Uganda national team coach, how far about it?

Let me state here clearly that I did not apply for Uganda job and I have not been contacted by them as well. But I have some people working for me and they could do that but they still need to get my consent. So Uganda job rumour is still strange to me.

But if you are offered, will you take up the job?

If it will happen, I have to look at the conditions of service and what it entails; I can’t just say yes because I am not so desperate to get a job at all.

There were reports recently that the NFF officials contacted you for the nation’s U-23 Eagles job, how have you gone about that?

I must be honest with you, I only read about it on the pages of newspapers and nothing has come out of that.

The Golden Eaglets defeated Congo 7-0 to book a semi-final ticket and World Cup ticket, what is your opinion about this team?

I must be honest to tell you that I am really impressed with what the players are doing. It has been a long time we saw a Nigerian team winning 6-0, 7-0; now we are seeing it again. It is a commendable performance but they should continue to work harder because it is not over yet until it is over.

They will take on Tunisia on Tuesday, what are your expectations and what advice can you give them?

I expect them to do better than their previous outings in the championship. They should be focused and see it as a match they must win. My advice for them is that they should put the 7-0 win over Congo behind them and don’t get carried away with that result. Tunisia is a different team and they should approach the match with different mentality.

Finally, what would you suggest the NFF do for the Golden Eaglets?

They should encourage them and monitor them for future assignments. --------------------- Complete Sports