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Exclusive: Former Super Eagles Goalkeeper Kicks Against Okoye’s Invitation

Augustine by Augustine
3 years ago
in News, Nigeria
18
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Ex international, Peter Rufai has kicked against the invitation of Fortuna Dusseldorf II goalkeeper, Maduka Okoye to the Super Eagles camp ahead of the international friendly game against Ukraine.

Okoye was named among the 22 players that Super Eagles technical adviser, Gernot Rohr invited for the game and also the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Squirrels of Benin in November.

However, the 1994 AFCON winning goalkeeper, told Soccernet.ng that Rohr should have invited players from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) than inviting the youngster.

“I am not practically against the invitation of Maduka Okoye to the Super Eagles. However, I feel that Gernot Rohr should have extended his tentacles to the NPFL considering the fact that we have a better goalkeeper in the league.

“I found a product of the Nigerian League and many other gaolkeepers like that but my point of the argument is that Rohr should have broadened his scope of discovery young goalkeepers in the league than inviting Okoye.

Rufai earned 65 caps for Nigeria, and represented the nation at two FIFA World Cups, always as starter: 1994 (Nigeria’s first ever appearance, where he also acted as captain) and 1998, also helping the Super Eagleswin the 1994 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia.

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Augustine

Augustine

Augustine is a Writer at Soccernet.ng. He is a graduate of Mass Communication with 10 years experience working with reputable publications including Complete Sports. [email protected]

Comments 18

  1. Bankole says:
    3 years ago

    Soccernet.ng should review its headline wording process. The title of this post says Rufai “kicks against” while the content included Rufai saying he does not “kick against”. This is quite confusing and contradictory. The editorial process of this blog should be reviewed and put in a more ethical shape.
    This is just a honest feedback.

    Reply
  2. Chris Okobah says:
    3 years ago

    We must stop this madness of denigrating local playerservices. Keshi won the 2013 nation’s cup with six home based players. I strongly believe we have a good number of goalkeepers playing locally, they are only waiting to be exposed OR do I say pay to be called to national team

    Reply
  3. Chris Okobah says:
    3 years ago

    We must stop this madness of denigrating local players. Keshi won the 2013 nation’s cup with six home based players. I strongly believe we have a good number of goalkeepers playing locally, they are only waiting to be exposed OR do I say pay to be called to national team

    Reply
  4. Chris Okobah says:
    3 years ago

    We must stop this madness of denigrating local players. Keshi won the 2013 nation’s cup with six home based players. I strongly believe we have a good number of goalkeepers playing locally, they are only waiting to be exposed OR do I say pay to be called to national team

    Reply
  5. Solomon kiri says:
    3 years ago

    This is strange to believe that up till now . That eyimba goal keeper afolaky is still not considert good for national team , by the German

    Reply
  6. Elico says:
    3 years ago

    Mr. Rufai please leave Mr. Rohr alone. If you want super eagles job please go and apply. Allow Mr.Rohr to do his job. This German man has tried for us. There is nothing wrong for that young keeper to be Invited. This man is building a strong team for the future.

    Reply
  7. max says:
    3 years ago

    Super Eagles is in an urgent need of Competent Nigeria Citizen(s) as Goalkeeper. Period!
    If the identified Nigerian keeper(s) in addition to being Competent is duly well Trained, Tested and Proven, BINGO!
    if also in addition to these desired basic qualities, the identified Competent keeper(s) is/are Exposed(expirienced) to the best goal keeping arts/sciences in today’s world EUREKA!
    The Coach must be left to make his apt choice.

    Reply
    • Samuel Beloved says:
      3 years ago

      The German tactician is going a good job, if our previous coach located young prospect in Europe our level of football would have grown…. Now we are struggling to convert them with the nature of FIFA rules of naturalize them to the super eagle, if we can tell our self the truth in 2007 Alaba would have been our world best left back now how I wish we go n convince him earlier. Pls mr Rohr go for more young future star in Europe such as fikayo Tomori, chuba Akpom, Ademola Lookman, shehi Ojo, Tolaji Bala, Timothy Eyoma, Josh Onomah, Nemachi, Tosin Adarabioya etc let cup tie them down now for the future of our football, I will plead with our NFF chairman or those that is in charge to forget their Ego and try to convince them to pledge their aligencie to our beautiful country Nigeria, because they have the white man seance of football that will develop our game. Thanks Engr. Samuel Beloved.08033918018

      Reply
  8. [email protected] says:
    3 years ago

    Maduka’s invitation is not a bad one, after all his a Nigerian… But the coach should also extend an invitation to theophilus Afelokhi is long overdue…presently there’s no quality in our league.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says:
    3 years ago

    Mr rufai we appreciate your effort at that time you where in super eagles but now face your business and leave coache rhor alone and also the keeper

    Reply
  10. Lemmuel Odjay says:
    3 years ago

    Abeg tell these Cut-and-Nail damagers ruining our football development project since the past 3 or 4 years o. You know, I could walk my way into any second or third division club in Europe, wave my hand at Coach Rohr, who has a job with Nigeria but who virtually lives with his family in Europe, and pronto, I am selected to represent Nigeria even at FIFA World Cup finals! This is how low our football has descended.
    98 percent of the present crop of the Super Eagles were selected that way, and our FA President is happy about this wait-and-get, through-the-backdoor style of administering Nigerian football!
    The duty of developing the Nigerian Premier League to world class standards constitutes more than 50 percent of the FA President’s/Coach’s responsibility, and that duty has long been neglected.
    What is surprising is, the Nigerian sports media, now our only one-eyed man in the land of Nigeria’s football-blind administrators, so to speak, appears to be in full support of this negative trend which can only lead Nigeria’s football fortunes down the gutter along with its infrastructure as well as its reputation.
    They devote their attention to these mostly unknown Nigerians plying their wares abroad, while denying home based footballers the exposure required to boost their career. If the FA, for its selfish reasons, has feigned blindness, has the sports media, which is required to show the way, gone blind as well?
    Under the ongoing system, Nigeria may trounce a footballing giant today only to lose heavily to minnows tomorrow, because the coach or FA really does not have the essential in-depth knowledge of the boys they are drafting into the team. They try to master this faulty approach by perpetually experimenting with new faces under a trial by error process, which is unable to produce the stable and well blended team Nigerians want. Such team will be retreating in panic before their advancing opponent and will lack a sense of purpose or urgency on the pitch; its attack formation will be tame on getting to the opponent’s eighteen; players’ passes/ball trapping technics and coordination will be faulty, while the team’s goalkeeper will always lack confidence as a result of all or some of the above reasons.
    If you ask me, I prefer the South African method, where the national coach is mandated to cultivate 95 per cent of his players from the local league while the FA provides the enabling environment that could engender overall good success. Once that system becomes established and is stable, it could produce a local/national football tradition, and a team that could be technically superior to any including Nigeria’s under its prevailing circumstances. At that rate, the Bafana Bafana could become the Super Eagles’ perennial nightmare in just one or two years, unless we stop and start rebuilding the right way. They (Bafana Bafana) are not yet there, yet they are giving the Super Eagles sleepless nights already.
    Let’s chart our way through the path that raised the early 1990s fearless, well rounded and strong Super Eagles which took the world by storm. The present system could only lead to heartbreaks. Somebody please spare Nigerian football and its fans the avoidable stress. Stop playing games with our football administration.

    Reply
  11. Akpabio , I. says:
    3 years ago

    The problem is not our coach but NFF and LMC, they should help develope our league and also be showing our league on television so we can know our best legs and hands.

    Reply
  12. Rasco Abdul says:
    3 years ago

    If local players are not included the league will never develop. We have a lot good players in the league.please let’s encourage them. Peter Rufai is my icon when I was keeping, he has a point please. He is a professional.

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says:
    3 years ago

    You will the one who call for rohrs head if he plays local and losses as you called against Madagascar

    Reply
  14. Michael says:
    3 years ago

    Mr Rufai, I beg wen you can keep for super eagles, you deh abroad but we had loads of goalkeepers better than you for local league.

    Reply
  15. Frank Smith says:
    3 years ago

    Our goal keeper’s trainer should be blamed, this same thing happened during the late Stephen Keshi’s era. The goal keeper trainer has a lot of influence in that department so the blame should be directed to him. Personally, there is nothing wrong in inviting Okoye but it is a diservice to overlook keepers that are equally good or even better. Somebody should tell me why Alapasu is not invited, Can anyone tell me the qualities Al the invited keepers have that Alapasu does not have Alapasu ought to have been in the National team since 2013 to under study his seniors, if we had done that we would have been enjoying the benefit today. – Men this guy won the golden gloves at the U17 of 2013 and we are behaving like as if he does not exist .Uzoho was his deputy in that tournament. Nff technical Dept should wake up.

    Reply
  16. Nnamdi Ejiofor says:
    3 years ago

    We don’t have a league Mr Rufai. Let the NFF go and develop our league. Our brand of football in the NPFL is underwhelming, amateurish, and lacks technical and tactical displays. In a football age where technical quality is ruling the game, we still play old fashioned football and hope to include these crap players in our National team? Far far far… Fowl!

    Reply
  17. Iziren says:
    3 years ago

    Nigerian football is in its current disgraceful State because we do not have what France, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, etc or that most developed Nations have, an effective scouting system that scouts youths between 5 and 17 from every part of the nation (Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast, Central, etc).

    Nigeria is supposedly a country comprised of 190 million people. Are you telling me with such a high population we can’t find a world cup winning team capable of defeating Nations with a much smaller population? All of this stems from Nigerian corruption, lack of pride in ourselves to build up a great system.

    The Local league needs a lot of work to be compared to the likes of top leagues worldwide.

    I’m not a fan of Rohr. He seems like a confused entity and a third rate German coach at best. Nigeria could definitely find a much better coach locally and provide him with the proper training. Look at Senegal, they are using a local coach but some things on their team need to be polished.

    Reply

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