OGAZI TASKS NIGERIANS ON EAGLES

Eagles
Veteran sports journalist, Paul Ogazi, has affirmed that total support for the Super Eagles is crucial in the drive to turnaround the national team.

The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) ace, who spoke on the heels of the unveiling of the former Under-20 and World Youth Championship (WYC) silver-winning Coach, Samson Saisia in Abuja recently, said the new manager needed such support to take the team to loftier heights.

He told Daily Sunsports that Nigerians were in the habit of switching allegiance to the opposing team any moment the home side appeared not to be doing well, maintaining that, that does not inspire a comeback in a football game. 'I think Nigerians owe Coach Samson Siasia a lot of support to succeed. They need to encourage him by cheering the Eagles anytime they are competing.

'Tunisians will always cheer their Carthage Eagles from sunrise to sundown. They will go all the way with the team to the last minute and remain with it until the referee blows the final whistle. But that does not happen in Nigeria. Here, we will always pretend to like good football.

'Brazil will come here to play the Eagles, in the first 10 minutes, they are ahead, and then everybody will switch support to the visitors. The next thing you begin to hear is: 'Eee! Ooo!' Nigerian fans will begin to boo the home side. I think it is only here that such a support for foreign teams happens, it is not like that overseas,' he said.

'The Eagles can make a mistake at some point in the game. But nothing suggests that they cannot come back and do the unexpected. We are still living witnesses to the Flying Eagles' feat at the World Youth Championship (WYC) in Damman, Saudi Arabia in 1989. Though down with four goals, the team came back, pulled a spectacular draw and went ahead to win the match. Such a thing can happen anywhere.