Eguavoen’ll Ensure Progress In Eagles Coach–Felix Owolabi
Former Nigerian international, Dr Felix Owolabi MON, has said the retention of Austin Eguavoen as the head coach of the Super Eagles will ensure continuity and progress in the national team.
He however urged football body to strengthen the technical department of the team ahead of the World Cup play-off against Ghana in March, in order to ensure that the team qualifies for the mundial in Qatar.
The retired footballer said these while featuring on a weekly radio show, Parrot Xtra/Ayekooto on Radio’ anchored by Olayinka Agboola.
On the performance of Nigeria at AFCON 2021, Owolabi, also known as Owo Blow said: “I am not surprised about the performance of the team.
“Our opponents at the group stage did not give us stiff opposition and Eguavoen within his short time as coach optimized the use of playing from the wing to neutralize the opposition.
“We overhyped the players and the sudden removal of Kelechi Iheanacho from the pitch during the Tunisia encounter affected the performance of the team.
“Tunisia monitored our style of play while we failed to do same because of the deficiency on the side of our technical department to monitor our opponents’ styles of play.”
Owolabi described Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) “as a big club, irrespective of the position of the club presently. One of the problems the club is having is that it just got promotion to NPFL and everybody is expecting them to win a trophy at all cost.
“Looking at the caliber of players in the team, they are very young and their future is very bright.”
The former 3SC administrator said the playing structure and atmosphere in Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) and Nigeria National League (NNL) are two parallel conditions and admonished that 3SC players need further encouragement to perform at optimum level.
He further charged the Oyo state government to bring in experienced sports administrators to manage the affairs of 3SC, in order to regain its lost glory, affirming that the club is the only representative in Nigeria to win two different continental titles in Africa.
Felix Owolabi revealed that the bulk of Nigeria-based players that were assembled by the late Stephen Keshi to win the Nations Cup in South Africa was a result of the productive and concerted effort of the NPFL Board, stating that the Board was dissolved for selfish and political reasons.
He recalled his most memorable game being the match against CA Bizertin Club of Tunisia in CAF Confederation Cup semi-final match where he scored two-corner kicks.
He said another 3SC player, Godwin Osusu, thereafter scored a penalty kick that facilitated the progress of the Ibadan-based to the final after the team lost the first leg by two goals to nil in Tunis.
He said, even before he retired from active football, he had already been in business, adding: “I ventured into supplying and selling of sporting equipment and it was not very profitable before I jettisoned it. I later went into animal husbandry such as piggery and poultry farming.”
Dr Felix Owolabi charged Nigerian sport administrators to place the love of their fatherland above personal interests in the administration of sport in the country.
