Chairman of the Anambra State Football Association, Chikelue Iloenyosi, has admonished football stakeholders in the country especially fans, players, & administrators, to end the habit of trading blames whenever Nigeria falls short in major tournaments.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in two successive editions (2022, & 2026) and Iloenyosi, who is an ex- international, believes trading blames cannot solve the problem.
According to him, Nigerians must Learn to understand the power of grassroots football development and leverage on the abundance of talents across the nation, to reassert its status as one of the powerhouses of world football.
“It is disappointing that we could not qualify for the world cup but if you Look at it critically, you see that we are not focusing on the League as we should,” he said. “We need to focus on developing our League and nurturing the young talents to take over the super stars.”
“In my state, Anambra for instance, Governor Chukwuma Soludo will not give you ten kobo just for nothing,” Iloenyosi stressed. “He makes sure there is evidence that you are adding to the socio-economic development of the state, before he can give you money.”
“And I Like him for that, because he is not a petty man. As the FA Chairman in Anambra State, I spend about a hundred and fifty thousand Naira to execute each match we play and that money comes from my pocket every match day.”
“We have not received a dime from the government budget but we are working. The good thing about the Governor is that, once he sees that you are doing a good job, he pushes money into that direction to help you in whatever you are doing. As Long as it adds value to the state and its people,” he explained.
PRIORITY FOR THE LEAGUE
Iloenyosi, who is aspiring for the membership of the NFF Board in the forthcoming election, confirmed that he has the full support of his former Super Eagles colleagues, who believe that he has the capacity to help the NFF realise its mandate.
“If you see the endorsement of those who are supporting me, the Likes of other ex- internationals such as Kanu Nwankwo, Austine Jay Jay Okocha, Samson Siasia, and Joseph Yobe among others, you will understand that it’s time we got ex- internationals into the NFF Board,” he said.
“So, my priority will be to continue what am used to doing already in the area of grassroots football development. I am a grassroots person and that is going to be my priority if elected as NFF Board member.”
“It does not make any sense to invite a foreign based player into the age grade national teams when we have abundance of talents here in Nigeria. Am not going to support that kind of thing because we must develop our League and encourage our budding talents to grow,” he added.
The Anambra state Football Administrator is currently hosting a 7-day football talent hunt programme at the Awka Township stadium, with several international scouts available to examine the players on display.
“The week Long football project is aimed at identifying, nurturing, and creating pathways for talented players between the ages of 18 and 23 years who are eager to pursue professional football careers,” the ex- international confirmed.
