Football fans in Ebonyi have urged the Super Eagles to end all celebrations arising from their triumph in the AFCON 2013 tournament and concentrate on qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
The fans gave the advice on Sunday in Abakaliki, while reacting to the Eagles 1-1 draw with Kenya on Saturday in Calabar, in a world cup qualifier.
The fans urged the players, officials and the Nigerian Football Association (NFA), to realise that the AFCON triumph would be eroded if the Eagles failed to qualify for the global fiesta.
The Chief Coach of the Ebonyi State Sports Council, Martin Nkpuma,? said that the players’ attitude on the pitch was questionable as they had played as if nothing was at stake.
“They appeared unfit and showed no sense of urgency until the later part of the game when it became late.
“They should put the Kenya game behind them and approach the remaining matches with the same level of commitment they used in executing the AFCON matches,” he said.
A Sports Administrator, Ernest Nkwuda, called on Stephen Keshi not to distort the team’s arrangement out of panic.
“He has gotten the nucleus of the team he desires,? engaging in further experimentation due to the outcome of the Kenya game would be counter-productive,” he said.
A banker, Mr Joe Udah, also called on the NFA to consider the possibility of playing the Eagles home matches at night for the sake of the European based players.
“This is winter period in Europe, most of our players fagged out against Kenya,'' he stated.
?A Volleyball Coach, Bridget Uchendu, similarly, called on the NFA not to put Keshi under undue pressure to deliver, but to ensure that the team was provided with all it needed to succeed.
“This is not the time to trade blames but a period for utmost collaboration to achieve the desired objective,” she said.
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