By KATE OBODO
Former Super Eagles attacking midfielder Mutiu Adepoju has thrown his weight behind the decision of Stephen Keshi to include in his plans more of the local players both in friendly matches and the qualifying series.

Adepoju, who is the General Manager of Shooting Stars Sports club,3SC, charged  the home-based players not onlt to  exhibit a true spirit of patriotism whenever they are representing the country, but have the attitude of winning always.

“They have a lot of chances both in the friendly games and in the qualifiers against Rwanda. You could see from the beginning how Keshi has started with the team by building  from the local players thereby giving them the opportunity to play friendly matches. It will yield results as he continues the building  process.

“I support him to include in his plans more of the home-based Eagles, both for friendly matches and the qualifying series, because by doing so, it will pave way for their exposure and make them have some sense of belonging,” he said

Continuing he said: “The only thing I want to tell the home-based players, is that they  should have a winning attitude always and not believe that they have arrived after playing one or two matches.

This is common  to our league players. They should believe that  they are just starting and they should be focused on the task ahead,”he said, as he also implored the foreign-based Eagles to exhibit  commitment and dedication  whenever they represent their fatherland.

“Our professionals should not be left out, despite their lackadaisical attitude towards national call. As it is, most  of them are doing well in their various clubs, for instance, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Osaze Odemwingie and others.

My annoyance with  them is that they do not exhibit the same  spirit and zeal they showed in their various clubs when playing for the Eagles. They should know that their  football career started from here and be humble and not believing that without them, the Eagles will not go beyond what it is now.

They should always play as if their life depended on the game and believe they are on the same level with other players,” he said.