Eagles need high psychological development to excel, says Ekeji

Former Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr. Patrick Ekeji believes the Super Eagles would perform well at next year’s FIFA World Cup finals in Russia if the team got adequate support from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and its supporters.

Specifically, Ekeji, one of the recent former Director Generals of the NSC, said the NFF would need to increase the psychological development of the players to realise the dream of success at the World Cup.

Speaking at the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) congress in Abuja yesterday, Ekeji said the corporate organisations that are fond of showering money on the Eagles when they are successful should make such money available now that the team is preparing for a crucial assignment.

“Any corporate organisation that is preparing and willing to shower money on the Eagles’ players should present the money now. It is now that the money would be properly utilised as the team needs it in its preparation for the World Cup,” Ekeji said.

Ekeji, who coached the defunct ACB FC in the 1980s and lectured at the National Institute for Sports (NIS), said Eagles’ victory over Argentina in a recent friendly game in Russia has indicated that the players, if properly managed, would excel at the Mundial. But he was emphatic that the Eagles need money for proper preparation for the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup finals.

He advised that the decision on whether to invite more experienced players to the team or not should be left to the Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, saying, “should Rohr come out to say he needs to beef up his team with whichever players in whichever department, he should be allowed to do so.”

He pointed out that from the qualifying games for the World Cup and the recent international friendly against Argentina, the German has demonstrated that he is capable of successfully leading the Eagles at Russia.