By KATE OBODO
Former Super Eagles coach Christian  Chukwu has told current national team coach, Samson Siasia to base his selection of players on fitness rather age as Nigerians clamour for the drop of old players from the team.

Christian Chukwu

Chukwu, a member of the 1980 Green Eagles squad who won the Africa Nations Cup for the first time, begged to differ with people who have called Siasia to drop the old players following the performance of the new players in the friendly against Sierra Leone in Lagos February 9, 2011 in a chat with Sunday Vanguard Sports.

“Be it old or new players, the most important thing in football is the player’s capability and fitness in the game, anything short of that is zero. A player could  be young but not fit. Whether a  player has stayed long in the team does not really matter,  if he is still in form and fit he should be retained,” Chukwu said.

On the controversy over where the Super Eagle should play their  match  for the African Nations Cup qualifier against Ethiopia, the former  Enugu Ranger coach said that wherever the match is played is not the problem, stressing that  every venue is home for the team.

“The match against Ethiopia can be played anywhere as far as it is in Nigeria. All the venues in the country are home for the team,” he concluded.

It could be recalled that the Nigeria Football Association, NFA stated after the friendly match against Sierra Leone that the Eagles would no longer player in Lagos because the players are not used to the synthetic turf of the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

However observers believe the decision was a result of the booing of the Eagles towards the end of the encounter after the Leone Stars had pulled one goal back, stressing it was wrong for the NFA to take the team away from Lagos.