ESIN: W/CUP TICKET MORE IMPORTANT THAN CONFED CUP

ESIN: W/CUP TICKET MORE IMPORTANT THAN CONFED CUP

Posted: May 14, 2013

Ex-international, Etim Esin, wants Super Eagles to concentrate more on the World Cup qualifiers than the Confederations Cup. He tells IZUCHUKWU OKOSI in this interview that the national team will not feel the absence of the likes of Joseph Yobo, Ike Uche and Emmanuel Emenike during the crowded June games.

The Super Eagles will not have Joseph Yobo, Ikechukwu Uche, Emmanuel Emenike, Nosa Igiebor and some other players who were part of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations as part of the squad for the upcoming friendly game against Mexico on the 31st of this month and they have also been dropped for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers against the Harambee Stars of Kenya as well as the one against the Brave Warriors of Namibia. Do you think the team will miss these players?

I think Stephen Keshi was right by not inviting them for the game. It will be an opportunity for other players to stake their claims to shirts in the team. That’s the way I see it and I don’t see the team doing badly just because of the absence of those players. Probably, they will be back in the team after the games in June which include the FIFA Confederations Cup.

Keshi probably dropped some of these players because they had a bad Nations Cup performance but they have been doing very well in their respective clubs. Ike Uche scored another goal last weekend just as he did penultimate weekend. Should Keshi give them another chance to redeem themselves?

The decision is Keshi’s to make. The team is experienced enough to handle the absence of these guys for just one or two games and I’m talking about the World Cup qualifiers. As for the Confederations Cup, it’s a big competition but our focus must be on the World Cup qualifiers . I’m not saying that Kenya and Namibia will be easy but they have to get on with the task of playing the games and ensure that they win convincingly.

What do you make of complaints about lack of care on the part of the NFF and national team coaches by the players in recent times?

It is a sad development and I believe those players were right to complain about abandonment in times of needs. It takes nothing to put a simple call across and ask someone like Anichebe how he is doing. That matters a lot. It shows how good we are in human management in this country but it seems all is well now.
Regarding Emenike, I think it is settled now and he even pledged to give the players a big sum of money if they qualify for the 2014 World Cup without him. Yes, Anichebe has his grouse and there should be quick resolution of those issues.

Do you see such problems snow-balling into something uncontrollable in the Super Eagles?

It shouldn’t be. The technical committee of the NFF needs to regularly check up on our players in every part of the world and be concerned with some of their personal problems. It helps to increase players’commitment level.

Let’s talk about the Flying Eagles now. They were the defending African champions at the U-20 level but lost the title to Egypt. The team is intensifying their preparations for the World Cup in Turkey and the NFF have given Coach John Obuh a mandate to reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup. What do you look forward to in the World Cup?

I feel they didn’t do enough in Algeria. They lost quite some chances but hopefully the coach is perfecting his strategies for the World Cup in Turkey. We expect to see a better team than the one that played in Algeria. Strong defence and prolific attack is what they need to excel.

Youth teams’ coaches most times call players who have played for the senior national team back to the youth ranks as long as they are still within the age bracket before major tournaments. What is your opinion about this?

Football at the youth level is purely developmental but the rule stipulates that a player can still play for a youth team if he is still within the age bracket. It is up to the coaches of those teams to decide.

And the Golden Eaglets against all expectations were defeated by Cote d’Ivoire in the U-17 AYC...

The most important thing was qualifying for the World Cup. The team put together by Manu Garba can reach the semi-finals of the U-17 World Cup.

A new sponsorship deal has been signed between Globacom and the League Management Committee. How do you see this improve our domestic league?

Accountability should be their watchword. The clubs must get what is due to them, simple.

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