Ex international, Edema Fuludu has berated the act of imposing players on national team coaches during international duties by some members of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and football agents in the country.
In a telephone chat with Brila fm that was monitored by Soccernet.ng, the current Delta State FA Chief stated that coaches must cultivate the habit of turning down such things for money if the nation’s football must grow.
Fuludu was in the Super Eagles squad that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia and has urged Nigerians coaches to stand on their integrity than allow their mindset to be influenced with money.
He said: “So we must begin to walk the talk by insisting that, time for overage players is over and time for imposition is over.
“Coaches should learn to say no, should they force players on you, very few coaches will say, ‘I will not do it’. If you get sacked, come out and tell the world I was sacked because, I refused the imposition of players; let the next person go there and accept the imposition of players,” Fuludu said.
“That is why I always insist, the coaches Association must become strong in the sense that, they must bond to agree.
“They don’t just sack coaches for reasons of the imposition of players or non-payment of salaries when you speak. But when and if they sack you, coaches must rise up from the fear of this poverty mentality of, if I leave I won’t be able to eat tomorrow and begin to realize that, if you don’t stand on integrity for the future of our players, things won’t be right.”
