Football

Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan has commended the Super Eagles for their wonderful performance that earned them the trophy of the Africa Cup of Nations tournament held in South Africa.

Uduaghan, who gave the commendation when the Super Eagles paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday in Asaba, noted that Nigerians did not give the team any chance of doing well in the championship.

He expressed delight that the team surprised everybody by bringing the trophy home and did not allow the situation to discourage them.

Uduaghan commended Coach Stephen Keshi for his leadership role and assured the team of the Delta government's support.

The governor announced that a parcel of land had been approved for Keshi and that the state would not only provide the land but would also build the house.

``We are not just giving the land, we will also ensure that we put the structure in place; this will enable you to visit home frequently,’’ he said.

Uduaghan called for the mentoring of young players ``since it is the younger ones that will take over from the present crop of players’’.

Responding, Keshi expressed delight at being honoured by his state government.

``I am truly happy to be here; I am glad to be in my own state and whatever we did in South Africa was for all Nigerians.

``When I took over this job, my aim was to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians,’’ he said.

He thanked Uduaghan and the government of Delta for the land and proposed building.

The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) said on Thursday in Abuja that there was no going back on its plan to hire a foreign technical director for the national teams.

Mr Emaka Inyama, a board member and Chairman of NFA Media and Publicity Committee, said there had not been any rebuttal to the arrangement since Musa Amadu, the General Secretary of the NFA, disclosed the plan in 2012.

Inyama, who was fielding questions from journalists at news conference, said that the idea was to have a template for football development in the country.

 ``There has not been any rebuttal since the general secretary said so; so, we are going ahead with the plan.

``What we have always said is that there is a need for us to develop a structure and a template for football development in this country.

``That is the beauty of a technical director. He doesn’t coach the teams but he will be able to say this is the mode of scouting, equipment and so on.

``Every federation in the world has it; even at club level, they do it (employ technical director) and I don't think there is anything wrong with it,’’ Inyama said.

The NFA board member, who is also the chairman of the Nigerian National League (NNL), said there was no need for the hues and cries by Nigerians on the matter, as it would not interfere with the job of any coach.

On Keshi’s resignation saga, Inyama explained that his job as the Super Eagles’ Head Coach was intact.

``The programme we gave to you was submitted by Keshi, if we have plans to do away with him, we will not ask him to submit his programme for 2014 and the World Cup.

``If Keshi was to go, will you pay him ahead to motivate him without holding back?

``If there are issues, can’t they be resolved. Should they be a national issue after we won the trophy?

According to him, the NFA should be commended for the feat achieved by the Super Eagles’ rather than being criticised.

Inyama, however, advised Nigerians to criticise the board constructively, adding that the Eagles’ excelled in South Africa because of the enabling environment provided by the NFA for it to succeed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Keshi has expressed concern over the plan by the NFA to hire a foreign technical director for the national team.

There are also fears that the foreigner can usurp the job of the coach.

The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) on Thursday said the body would ensure that the Flying Eagles retained the forthcoming African Youth Championship trophy billed for Algeria in March. Chief Emeka Inyama, the Chairman NFA Media and Publicity Commit...

Mali's head coach Patrice Carteron has said the citizens of the troubled West African nation are satisfied with the performance of its senior national team, The Eagles, at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nation in  South Africa.

Mali finished third after beating one of the pre-tournament favourites Ghana 3-1 in the third place match on Saturday.

Mali also finished third at the last edition of the tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea last year.

``I’m proud of the achievement of my players. They worked hard to get the bronze medal.

``I think the people back home will be very happy with the team’s performance,’’ the Frenchman said after the match.

Malian players had expressed their willingness to perform well at the tournament to make their compatriots back home happy.

That was in view of the situation in the country where armed Islamist groups have been battling the country's forces - assisted by an international intervention force.

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