Finidi should complete his job, says Adelabu
Former Super Eagles star, Edema Fuludu, has described as ‘terrible’ the mental preparation of the team for the 2026 World Cup qualifier against the Benin Republic in Abidjan.
Nigeria lost the game 1-2, a defeat that has further put the team’s qualification for the World Cup in trouble. Fuludu told The Guardian, yesterday, that the players’ performance was horrible.
“Unless we talk with the players in camera, we will not know what was in their minds before and during the match,” Fuludu said. “It is not a Finidi George or coaching problem. The players make the coach. When players refuse to come tops as professional players, willing to put themselves on the line to achieve an objective, there is nothing a Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti will do.
“The dynamics of winning a match is such that players selected must be willing psychologically. It is the bite in a dog that matters not the name of the dog. A dog called Bingo could be more ferocious than the one called Tiger.”
“The only magic left is to win the remaining games, which means drastic measures must be taken to juggle the team. This is what happens when we reward second fiddle as champions of a tournament. Complete complacency has thrived.” On his part, former Green Eagles winger, Adegoke Adelabu, urged Nigerians to leave the coach alone.
“I think they should allow Finidi to complete his assignment no matter what happens. We have to start from somewhere. The issue of sacking coaches for one reason or another, as the practice is with clubs, should not be applied to the national team. We had good indigenous coaches before who did well, yet we frustrated them and never paid their salaries till they died.
“I expressed my displeasure at the statement made by a member of the technical committee who said, they chose Finidi because the federation has no money. It showed the level of our thinking.”
