By Jacob Ajom

Spokesman for the Nigerian Football Coaches Association, Etta Egbe has called on the Nigeria Football Federation to revive the national U-13 football team.

Etta Egbe who was one of the coaches that led the national U-13 team to win the African U-13 championship in Gabarone last year, in a chat with Sports Vanguard last week expressed concern that there was nothing on ground to show that Nigeria was ready to defend the African title won last year.

Beyond the defence of the title, Etta Egbe who is the chairman of Cross River State Football Coaches Association urged the NFF leadership to show more seriousness in the U-13 team, which he said was the bed-rock of Nigeria’s future in football.

“The foundation of our football lies in the grassroots. As it stands now, there is no U-13 and the African championship comes up in Algeria in 2016,”Egbe said, lamenting, “how are we going to defend the title we won in Gaborone if we have not commenced preparations now?”

The former Rovers Football Club of Calabar safe hands observed that with schools going on long vacation soon, “it will be the best time to call players to camp and carry out the necessary selection of players that will form the team.”