……. says the replacement for the ageing Super Eagles
The Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Alhassan Yakmut, on Thursday said the Flying Eagles’ resilience at the ongoing U-20 World Cup showed that they were the dream Super Eagles.
Yakmut stated this following Nigeria’s ouster from the competition in New Zealand, via a 0-1 loss to Germany.
It was reported that the team, whose first match against Brazil ended 4-2, were not deterred as they took their pounds of the flesh from South Korea, winning won 4-0.
The team’s morale was boosted with the second match’s victory, where they went ahead to finalise their qualification from group stage by defeating Hungary 2-0.
Yakmut said: “They have done well. It is no news that the Super Eagles need new, young and vibrant legs.
“I can boldly say that the Flying Eagles are the replacement we are looking for.
“They started the tournament gracefully and they ended gracefully, which is highly commendable.
“Germany was the winner, but the Flying Eagles were the team to beat.
“For our boys to ensure that they hold their heads up high, losing by a 1-0 margin, shows that they were no pushovers.”
The sports chief, who was the former Director of Grassroots Programmes in the NSC, said it was important for the commission to focus on grassroots development in the country.
Yakmut said: “Knowing my background, I am a grassroots advocate. So, we will continue to champion the need for grassroots development in the country.
“Flying Eagles are a great example of how players should progress. They should naturally replace weak legs in the senior national team.”