Former Super Eagles Goalkeeper, Abiodun Baruwa, believes the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has done the Super Eagles a world of good by insisting that Coach Gernot Rohr must win the Cameroun 2021 Nations Cup and also excel at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Speaking at the weekend from his base in London, Baruwa said the target given to Rohr was a clear signal that the federation expected better from him than his past performance in his new contract.
He said, “I don’t think the Nations Cup target will put Rohr under unnecessary pressure as some people have said.
“The federation left homegrown coaches to hire and pay him an attractive salary because they expect him to win laurels for the country. It is a good pressure on the coach and players to win AFCON and excel at the World Cup because the NFF wants the team to succeed.
“The Super Eagles players also need this type of motivation because they have won trophies with their clubs and their next target should be to win laurels for the country,” he said.
The Shooting Stars of Ibadan former goalkeeper believes that Nigeria would have a good team if it made the local league strong, adding, however, that for the home league to meet international standard, the League Management Company (LMC) must get sponsors for the competition.
He opines that leaving the clubs’ managements alone to take care of their players would not help to raise the financial base of the teams.
According to Baruwa, growing the league should be a concerted effort involving all the stakeholders.
Baruwa revealed that he is working on a project that would collaborate with the Lagos State government to set up a sports academy in the state.
“My plan is to come to Lagos any time soon to meet with officials of Lagos State government or the governor to fashion out ways to help open an academy for not just football but other sports.
“In this project when it materialises, I will get seasoned sports administrators and coaches from the UK and other parts of the world to work with Nigerian sports stars. Youths, who are interested in sports and education, will use the academy to launch their career and university education.
“I am from Lagos Island and I believe Lagos needs to be the hub for sports in the country,” he said.
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