Coach of Rivers United, Stanley Eguma, has attributed CHAN Eagles’ abysmal performances in the two matches played against the Sparrow Hawks of Togo to ill preparation and motivation to coaches and the players
The CHAN Eagles currently being tutored by Imama Amapakabo recently lost 1-4 and 1-2 to the Togolese national team in the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier for Egypt and in the opening game of the 2019 West Africa Football Union (WAFU) Cup of Nations respectively.
Eguma stated that the same groundwork and motivation accorded to their foreign counterparts who form the nucleus of the Super Eagles have not been given to the home-based players.
“Our losses against Togo for the two championships, I think it’s a game of football. And in football, homework matters a lot. If a team is better prepared, definitely you expected it to stand a good chance to win a particular game. But in the CHAN Eagles case, they didn’t prepare well enough.
“Getting the right preparation is one thing I believe that we are lacking, especially when it comes to the CHAN Eagles. Adequate preparation has never been given to these lads. We have the talents in our domestic leagues, but the issue has always been preparing the boys sufficiently for any type of competitions they are going for,” he said, adding that expectation from these Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) players and the local coaches is like squeezing water out of a rock.
“How do you expect players to work without any form of motivation? Look at how the local coaches handling these national teams are been treated. If the coaches are working without a contract or even with contract, they are not being paid regularly. You are indirectly wishing them not to succeed, especially with lots of distractions coming their ways?
“These are some of the factors you consider before you begin to expect good results. We, Nigerian coaches, have been so maginalised so much that nobody cares anything about us when we are in charge of any national assignment. Succeeding without the necessary tools is like you are expecting us to go and perform miracles and football doesn’t work that way,” he stated.