By Jacob Ajom
Former Super Eagles forward, Julius Aghahowa has decried the seeming secrecy surrounding preparations of the Flying Eagles ahead of the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina.
Aghahowa, a former celebrated youth international was asked if he knew any player he could bank on in the present squad, when they commence hostilities against Dominican Republic on May 21.
“I can’t assess the team because I don’t know any of the players going to Argentina,” he began, adding that “things have changed a lot. Unlike in our time when we used to train at the national stadium, Lagos, where thousands of fans attend our training sessions, the team now trains in secret.”
He recalled, “During our time, thousands of fans trooped in to watch us play. The coach had no choice but to pick the best.”
He said if a particular player was not good, the whole twenty thousand fans in the stadium would cry out ‘ah, this one is not good. And the coach would have no option than to drop the player.”
He said, in contrast, “today, nobody knows the players. Everything is shrouded in secrecy. They train secretly, camp them secretly and nobody knows them. There is a disconnect between the team and the fans.”
He recalled that in their time, they played friendly matches against top clubsides in Nigeria’s topflight like Bendel Insurance, Julius Berger, Shooting Stars. At times the Flying Eagles played against their counterparts from the Republic of Benin at the national stadium. Everyone knew the players, their positions and the clubs they were coming from.
“Today they do things in secret. They are not even exposed to the media, so how do we criticise or assess the team?
“Nobody knows anything about the team. All we know is that some Nigerian players are going to Argentina to play in the U20 World Cup,” he said.
