Dubai Training Tour

By Esther Egbe                                                                     

 Golden Eaglets round off in high spirit

The Golden Eaglets rounded off their Dubai training tour on Monday
in high spirits for their 2013 FIFA Under-17
World Cup assignment.

After two weeks of intensive training at the Higher College of
Technology in Dubai, the team is now scheduled to depart for Al-Ain on
Tuesday where they would play their first two matches against Mexico
and Sweden on October 19th and 22nd.

"Today is very significant especially for us who are Muslims
because today is Arafat," Coach Manu Garba said at the team's
session, adding that "incidentally, it coincided with the first day of the week as
we focus on our first game against Mexico on Saturday."

Earlier on, Manu had enthused during a routine video shoot that his
boys are ready to prosecute their World Cup duty with gusto.
 "If they ask us to start today, we are ready for this World Cup
assignment," Manu said."We have trained very well though we couldn't
play any big match.
It would not hamper us as our players are fit for this assignment and
by the grace of God, we would do our best," he noted.

In the meantime, the four players, Adeyinka Adewale, Clement Ogbobe, Godwin
Odibo and Olumide Akofe, who did not make the list of 21
 for Nigeria's assault at the World Cup Championship are
expected to leave the' Dubai camp for Lagos aboard Emirates Airlines
on Tuesday. in UAE.

"We have learnt so much during this training tour and we shall
continue to pray for the success of the team at the World Cup," said
Ogbobe, the former National Under-15 team. Of course, all of us cannot
make the team as such; we wish them the best at the World Cup."
 
Departing Adewale picks Alampasu as Eaglets' No.1
Dropped goalkeeper Adeyinka Adewale has endorsed teammate Sunday
Alampasu as his favourite for the No. 1 position when the Golden
Eaglets begin their quest for a fourth FIFA Under-17 World Cup against
Mexico on October 19th.

Adewale was omitted from the World Cup squad due to a recurring knee
injury since he helped the team to a second place finish at the last
CAN U-17 Championship in Morocco. But on the eve of his departure from
the Golden Eaglets' camp in Dubai, an emotional but self-assured
Adeyinka said amongst others.

"I have no ill feelings towards anybody because I was not picked for
the World Cup due to my troubled injury and I know the coaches have
acted in good faith," said Adewale, who kept goal for Kwara Football
Academy's 2012 Shell Cup winning team. "It was my desire and dream to
be at the World Cup but for this knee injury."

With Adewale left out of the equation, three other youngsters namely
Odinaka Uzoho; Abdulazeez Abubakar and Sunday Alampasu have been
battling for the Golden Eaglets' Number 1 shirt. But in an interview
ahead of his departure from the camp with three others not included in
the World Cup squad, the vastly experienced Adewale ran the rule on
the trio jostling for his position.

He said:"I want to use this opportunity to thank all the technical
crew especially the medical team for their support and my prayers
would be with them always.
I have no doubt that there are capable replacements for me and I
would easily pick Alampasu to succeed me. Alampasu has all the
attributes of a good goalkeeper and I have told the three of them to
support each other."

In a related development, Goalkeepers' trainer and erstwhile youth
international,Emeka Amadi has specifically said that merit is  only
factor that determines  who man the goalpost for a particular
match,adding that the trio selected  for the World Cup are competent
and reliable.