Ex-international, Dr Felix Owolabi (MON), has reiterated that the future of Nigerian football lies with the players plying their trade in the domestic league. The former Shooting Stars of Ibadan prolific left winger, best known as Owoblow, is looking forward to brighter days for Nigeria in 2011, after what he described as unpalatable 2010 following the disappointing outing by the Super Eagles at the World Cup in South Africa and the myriad of crises that characterized the nation's football during the year.
“Last year was not palatable for Nigerian football. Apart from the disappointing outing by the Super Eagles at the World Cup in South Africa, we had a lot of crises in the administration of the game.
“But with the appointment of a new sports minister and a new coach for the Super Eagles, in the person of Samson Siasia, we can only hope for better days for Nigerian football in 2011. However, all the stakeholders must work together for our football to move forward,” Owoblow advised.
The former Green Eagles' dashing winger, in an exclusive chat with Saturday Sunsports, warned Siasia not to repeat the mistake of past Super Eagles' coaches, who found the home-based players only good as training materials, while preferring their foreign-based counterparts, some of who were either spent forces or lacked commitment to the national team, for executing international competitions; a factor he said has neither benefited the coaches nor the country.
Owolabi, who is popular for his robust stance on issues bordering on Nigerian football, also advised the nation's football ruling body on the recurring problem of international friendly matches for the Super Eagles.
The sporting media have lately been awash with reports and counter reports of international friendly matches between Nigerian and some countries, prominent among which, was Guatemala.
In the recent past, while other national team across the world play international friendly matches on FIFA free days, Nigeria only plays hers on the pages of newspapers, as virtually all the international friendly matches reportedly arranged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) never saw the light of the day.
“One clear issue that should be addressed is the fact that Nigeria needs to align and collaborate with foreign nations. We should have a comprehensive football calendar for the year that would take care of all the competitions and international friendly matches we engage in. You don't just wake up one morning and say that you want to play with a country, it doesn't work that way,” Owoblow cautioned.
Ex-international, Dr Felix Owolabi (MON), has reiterated that the future of Nigerian football lies with the players plying their trade in the domestic league. The former Shooting Stars of Ibadan prolific left winger, best known as Owoblow, is looking forward to brighter days for Nigeria in 2011, after what he described as unpalatable 2010 following the disappointing outing by the Super Eagles at the World Cup in South Africa and the myriad of crises that characterized the nation's football during the year.
“Last year was not palatable for Nigerian football. Apart from the disappointing outing by the Super Eagles at the World Cup in South Africa, we had a lot of crises in the administration of the game.
“But with the appointment of a new sports minister and a new coach for the Super Eagles, in the person of Samson Siasia, we can only hope for better days for Nigerian football in 2011. However, all the stakeholders must work together for our football to move forward,” Owoblow advised.
The former Green Eagles' dashing winger, in an exclusive chat with Saturday Sunsports, warned Siasia not to repeat the mistake of past Super Eagles' coaches, who found the home-based players only good as training materials, while preferring their foreign-based counterparts, some of who were either spent forces or lacked commitment to the national team, for executing international competitions; a factor he said has neither benefited the coaches nor the country.
Owolabi, who is popular for his robust stance on issues bordering on Nigerian football, also advised the nation's football ruling body on the recurring problem of international friendly matches for the Super Eagles.
The sporting media have lately been awash with reports and counter reports of international friendly matches between Nigerian and some countries, prominent among which, was Guatemala.
In the recent past, while other national team across the world play international friendly matches on FIFA free days, Nigeria only plays hers on the pages of newspapers, as virtually all the international friendly matches reportedly arranged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) never saw the light of the day.
“One clear issue that should be addressed is the fact that Nigeria needs to align and collaborate with foreign nations. We should have a comprehensive football calendar for the year that would take care of all the competitions and international friendly matches we engage in. You don't just wake up one morning and say that you want to play with a country, it doesn't work that way,” Owoblow cautioned.
Ex-international, Dr Felix Owolabi (MON), has reiterated that the future of Nigerian football lies with the players plying their trade in the domestic league. The former Shooting Stars of Ibadan prolific left winger, best known as Owoblow, is looking forward to brighter days for Nigeria in 2011, after what he described as unpalatable 2010 following the disappointing outing by the Super Eagles at the World Cup in South Africa and the myriad of crises that characterized the nation's football during the year.
“Last year was not palatable for Nigerian football. Apart from the disappointing outing by the Super Eagles at the World Cup in South Africa, we had a lot of crises in the administration of the game.
“But with the appointment of a new sports minister and a new coach for the Super Eagles, in the person of Samson Siasia, we can only hope for better days for Nigerian football in 2011. However, all the stakeholders must work together for our football to move forward,” Owoblow advised.
The former Green Eagles' dashing winger, in an exclusive chat with Saturday Sunsports, warned Siasia not to repeat the mistake of past Super Eagles' coaches, who found the home-based players only good as training materials, while preferring their foreign-based counterparts, some of who were either spent forces or lacked commitment to the national team, for executing international competitions; a factor he said has neither benefited the coaches nor the country.
Owolabi, who is popular for his robust stance on issues bordering on Nigerian football, also advised the nation's football ruling body on the recurring problem of international friendly matches for the Super Eagles.
The sporting media have lately been awash with reports and counter reports of international friendly matches between Nigerian and some countries, prominent among which, was Guatemala.
In the recent past, while other national team across the world play international friendly matches on FIFA free days, Nigeria only plays hers on the pages of newspapers, as virtually all the international friendly matches reportedly arranged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) never saw the light of the day.
“One clear issue that should be addressed is the fact that Nigeria needs to align and collaborate with foreign nations. We should have a comprehensive football calendar for the year that would take care of all the competitions and international friendly matches we engage in. You don't just wake up one morning and say that you want to play with a country, it doesn't work that way,” Owoblow cautioned.
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