By Richard Animam
Former Super Eagles winger Adokie Amiesima ka has called on the Nigeria Football Federation and the Presidency to prevail on Austin Okocha to return to active soccer, stressing that he is still needed in the Super Eagles.
President Yar Adua
According to the ex Sharks FC chairman, should Nigeria qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Okocha should be persuaded to come out of retirement and play again at the World Cup after which a befitting testimonial can be organised for him. He described the testimonial organised for him as inappropriate.
Adokie believes there is no player yet to fill the vacuum created by Okocha’s absence and therefore the former Bolton Wanderers’ captain should be made to play for the Eagles at the next World Cup.
“Okocha should be persuaded to come back. The truth is that he is more useful in the Super Eagles than the Presidential Task Force. All he needs is a good training for six months and he will be fit. Presently, the Super Eagles lack a creative midfielder in the mould of Okocha. The younger midfielders have found the shoes of the ex Bolton captain too big and I think he should quit retirement and play again. The likes of Roger Milla of Cameroon did it, so I don’t think it would be a bad idea for Austin to make a return”, Amiesimaka said.
Meanwhile, a Kano based sports fan, architect Mustapha Zaiya has called on the NFF to strengthen the coaching crew by inviting coach Samson Siasia to the Super Eagles. According to him, both coaches can be made to build a strong team capable of lifting the World Cup in South Africa.
“Let us put sentiment and politics aside and build a strong coaching crew by inviting Siasia to the Super Eagles and give them the mandate to build a strong team. I am confident that if they work together, winning the World Cup would be achievable”, he said.
please l will like the president to intervein in time because l didnt see any sign that we have a nice and strong team.please look at south Africa the way they play football against brasil and spain.Nigeria my loving country cant do such and we need to bring in Siasia to assist Amodu .Please we need to plead to Jay Jay to come out from international retirment and help his motherland once more.He can do it,Zidan,makalele and thuram all did it in France which is not there real country,while Jay jay cant do it for his Enugu fans and nigeria as a whole.
Okocha is not the only best player in Nigeria,the time for okocha as the best player in Nigeria has gone.there are some home base players who are better in skill and can stand for 90 minuts,so you guys should stop neglecting home base players.pls you guys should give the younger once chance to shine out. A player has only two to three years to shine out , and for that okocha is out system. okocha can hold another post in Nigeria football maybe as trainer or national coach but not as footballer.
Okocha is not the only old horse needed in SUper Eagles. Even Adokie Amsiemeka, Segun Odegbami, Christian Chukwu, Yisa Sofoluwe, Samson Siasia should be invited to the Super Eagles by Amodu.
There’s something definitely wrong with a Nation that have no succession plan, that does not believe life is a cycle of generations, of leadership, of affairs, of events. Come 2011, some people like Adokie would be clamouring for Babaginda or Obasanjo to contest!
You don’t know the value of what you have in Nigeria, untill you lose it.
How well did the then NFA treat Okacha that would encourage him to come back?
Is it because of the yesterday’s $5k bonus?
Okacha if you break your leg, then will you know that they just want to use you.
Decide yourself if you want to continue with your career or if you’ve found something better.
They want to make name to themselves forgetting that charity begins at home.
NFF, Nigerian government, first put your home in order before coming outside to make show.
Peace!
We need Jay Jay if we qualify just for the last twenty minutes of each match. Mikel the rave of Nigerian soccer today will learn alot from Okocha the The same way Ronaldiho learned from Okocha when they played in PSG. Okocha’s presence will immensely brush up Mikel’s skill and that will be better for Mikel and for Nigeria. Okocha cannot replace Mikel though for Mikel is just the main man in the team. Okocha will pressure any team with his pinpoint passes, his clinical freekicks.. Rogger Mila was like Pollo Rossi a fox in the box, Okocha is the complete mildfielder. You can not compare the two, the warped CAF recognitions notwithstanding.. Okocha must want to come back though, not the other way. He should indicate interest to play and his foitness will then be key .
Please let JJOkocha play his new role in the PTF of encouraging the players. Let Mikel play as an attacking midfielder as he did in WYC 2005. We should look forward. We never asked Adokie out of retirement despite the lack of adequate replacement for him at the outside left. Rather our left backs like Yisa Sofoluwe and Taiye Taiwo emerged to fill the vacancy. Talents abound in this country to start looking backwards. We can organise another testimonial match for Okocha after the world cup.
It is amazing how people will not allow past glory to be kept in its proper past when dealing with the present.The truth is, Okocha had a great time with the national team but his legs were weak before he retired.if Okocha returns to EAGLES when will other players be discover and have the chance to play and establish themselves in the team.Was Okocha not part of the SUPER EAGLES that failed in the past?
Okocha and kanu will blend well with the new eagles! we need Jay Jay! our team lack ezperience which these two can create. think about zidane in 2006, his experience and creativity like that which JJ posses guided france to finals
ADOKIYE IS RIGHT OR WOULD I SAY PATRIOTIC.ITS BCOS THEY CANT ILL OKOCHA’S SHOE, MAYBE WE MUST CONSIDER THAT IF WE QUALIFY, OKOCHA IS EVEN MORE THAN 1000 ROGER MILLERS BUT WE MUST TARRY/BE CAREFUL ABOUT IT BCOS SOM OTHER WILL BRING SENTIMENTS WHICH IS WHAT RUINS NIGERIA IN EVERYTHING.OKOCHA CAN BE NEGOTIATED TO COME AND GIVE COLOUR TO THE TEAM ONLY IF/WHEN THEY QUALIFIES FOR WORLD CUP.EVERYONE DESERVE IT, HIM/ALL NIGERIANS.I REST MY CASE
This is perhaps the most retrogressive suggestion I have ever heard from these our so-called Nigerian soccer experts in recent times. I am particularly shocked that such suggestion would come from an otherwise respected voice on and off the field of play–the retired “Chief Justice” of Nigerian soccer. Where, I ask, is the wisdom in calling upon tired legs to save the country’s seemingly declining soccer fortunes? Could you imagine the Brazilians still relying on players like Socrates, Junior, Falcao to save their national team. Okay, granted these aforementioned Brazilians are not in Okocha’s class of 1994 World Cup. When last did we hear of calls to bring Romario or Dunga, who both played in the same World Cup with Okocha, back on to the Brazil roaster as active players. Dunga, Amokachi and Siasia, who are Okocha’s contemporaries, are coaches or members of coaching crew, not active players! We are all living witnesses to the unraveling of a crop of fresh and talented players on the Brazilian team list at the ongoing Confederation Cup in South Africa. While Kanu may currently seem to be an exception, his age will soon catch up with him, and will become a big issue when the country’s soccer team plays against World class teams with stronger, younger and swifter players. With all due respect to Okocha’s soccer skills, I don’t think its wise to tie the future of Nigerian to the boots of a player that was compelled to move from Bolton to Qatar, then to Hull. As much as this might sound like a cliche, it is true that old glories don’t win soccer games.
At this point, going forward, we should be talking of how to support and encourage players like Mikel John Obi or how to get more Mikels (without the attitude) into the team, not how to fall back on tired legs that would ultimately let us down when it matters most. Chief Justice, I beg to differ, a “good testimonial” is one thing, the future of country’s soccer is another, please detach yourself from sentiments and see the difference between the two.
Bringing Okocha back to the team does not seem to be way forward