Akpoborie.
Ex-Nigeria international Jonathan Akpoborie, has advised the Nigeria Football Federation to build on coach Stephen Keshi’s success at the Africa Cup of Nations and end employment of foreign coaches for the Super Eagles.
The Eagles on Sunday beat the Stallions of Bukina Faso 1-0 to win the Africa Cup Nations for the third time.
Akpoborie, in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, said the performance of the Eagles at the South Africa tournament showed that indigenous coaches could excel.
“Keshi has proved that a Nigerian coach can handle our national team. From the day he started the job and giving opportunity to players in the local league, it was obvious that he knew what he wanted to achieve with the team,” Akpoborie said.
“He put premium on our local players and he has proved that we can build our national team around them,” he said.
Akpoborie advised the country’s football administrators to look inwards and develop the local league, saying that Keshi had proved that “there are good players there to be developed”.
He said the new team put together by Keshi “had character and discipline” and that he was confident that the will qualify for the 2014 World Cup.
The former Germany-based footballer was one of those who doubted that the Eagles could win the cup but conceded after they defeated Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals in one of the most entertaining matches of the tournament. The outspoken analyst gave his position via Twitter.
He tweeted, “The Eagles have proved me wrong” after the match. He said his earlier stand was professional as it was based on the way the Eagles played at the start of the competition.
And as the Super Eagles fly into Abuja this afternoon Victor Moses is one of the players that will not attend the reception billed for the Presidential Villa. The Chelsea attacker who turned out as one of the stars of the tournament left South Africa for London on Monday. He confirmed his departure at the airport through Twitter.
He wrote, “At airport to fly to England. Had amazing few weeks’ best experience of my life.”
His English club followed their three players in the Nigeria team through the competition and celebrated their cup victory on Sunday. Mikel Obi and Kenneth Omeruo (loaned out) are the other two.
The rest of the squad are billed to fly into Abuja aboard a charter flight from Johannesburg with the extended Nigeria delegation.