A former captain of the Super Eagles,
Austin Okocha, has expressed disappointment over the failure of Nigerian
players to contend for the Glo/CAF African Player of the Year award,
saying they were not good enough to be considered for the prestigious
award.
Speaking to journalists at the event,
which was held at the International Conference Center, Abuja on Thursday
night, Okocha said it was unfortunate that Nigerian football has “gone
down drastically”.
The former Bolton Wanderers midfielder
said Nigeria should accept that they are no longer ranked among the
giants of African football and begin the process of returning to their
deserved position.
He added that doing so would not only
help the country to reposition itself for an upwards movement in FIFA
rankings, it would also help the country to rise up and work towards
qualifying for both the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 World
Cup.
He said, “I don’t think any of our
players at this moment deserve to be there because we have been
struggling. We must try to work hard to make sure that we will have one
person in contention next time. Honestly speaking, we are going through a
rough period, but there is nothing to be ashamed of.
“We all need to battle and make sure we
return to where we really belong. We have signs that suggest that we may
qualify for Gabon, but we must work had to see it work out by
acknowledging that first of all we are not doing very well, so we have
to humble ourselves by starting afresh.
“Once we accept our fate at the moment, I
think there will be a fresh beginning for us. Deservedly, we are at our
current ratings because our results have not been very encouraging. We
just need to accept it and then fight our way back.
“But we must first admit that our
current form is not that good, so that we can begin to put certain
measures in place to return us to where we should be by first seeking to
qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations. I believe that Sunday Oliseh
will give us the ticket for Gabon.”
Source: PUNCHNGR
