Soccer: Let’s get back to youth academies -- Amiesimaka

A former Super Eagles’ winger, Adokiye Amiesimaka, has called on the Nigeria Football Association
(NFA) to use football academies to groom players for the National teams.

Amiesimaka told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt that the outcome of the FIFA Confederation’s Cup match between Nigeria and Spain showed there would be the need for massive investments in football academies.

He said that virtually all the Spanish players were products of football and youth academies that were groomed from early ages. Amiesimaka suggested that the country should adopt similar strategies in hunting for soccer talents and there were abundance of the stars in various parts of the country.

Cue in audio

``Now, the bottom line is simply this and that is the crux of the matter.  I don’t really care who is chairman of NFA or member of the board.

``What I care about is that whoever is there should be held accountable for his decisions and his actions, and he should know that his responsibilities are not to himself but to the entire country.

``And that football is paramount. If he is there as football chairman, then he should know that whatever actions, whatever his decisions are in the interest of the country, that is paramount.

``Secondly, to anchor our game on a credible youth programme, there is no bickering about it. That is the solution.’’

Cue out audio

Amiesimaka said Nigeria was endowed with good players but needed proper grooming. `` We should look at what Spain has done. We should look inwards. From 1998 to now, Spain articulated a youth programme which has paid off. ``This is exactly what we should to get good players and groom them
for the various national teams.’’

He said that there should be ``basic progression’’, such as the grooming of players from the youth academies to be in line with a pattern of play and the clubs that the players would join. (NAN)