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Kick out Uwua…He’s a cultist, says Chief Alex
Akinyele
By BEN MEMULETIWON
Tuesday,
february 6, 2007
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•Chief
Coach, Godwin Uwua
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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As rain of criticisms continue to shower on national coach,
Godwin Uwua, over Flying Eagles disastrous outing at the just-concluded
African Youth Championship (AYC) in Congo, former National
Sports Commission (NSC) chairman, Chief Alex Akinyele, has
urged NFA bigwigs to take the former Bendel Insurance coach
to the stake and crucify him.
Spiting fire from, while speaking to Daily Sunsport, Chief
Akinyele described Uwua as a cultist and a man who actually
planned to fail with the boys he took to Congo.
“His appearance was like an hurried cultist. He shaved
his head and wore a black Tee-shirt. He put on dark glasses
and black shorts. He presented himself as a man ready for
humuliation,” Akinyele fumed.
He said the 0–1 loss Nigeria suffered against Congo
in the final of the competition would have effect in the regime
of newly appointed NFA Secretary-General, Bolaji Ojo-Oba,
adding that the administrator should do something to erase
that from his tenure.
“Uwua’s selection was unpatriotic,” he continued.
“He was wicked and unkind to Nigeria.”
He said he had already lodged a personal complaint about the
coach’s poor selection to the Nigeria Football Association
(NFA), but the Ondo high chief refused to release the content
of his complaints, saying it would shock Nigerians if it was
exposed at the end.
“Uwua didn’t select players to win the championship.
He selected them for his own selfish reasons. Saturday’s
defeat was a slap on the face of Nigerians. Uwua spoilt the
day for me, as I couldn’t eat after the match.”
The Lobosin of Ondo, however, urged NFA to sack Uwua immediately,
otherwise he would bring disaster to Nigeria at the FIFA World
Youth Championship (WYC) in Canada.
He also advised NFA to bring back Coach Samson Siasia, saying
he didn’t know why they promoted him to handle the Under-23
team.
Chief Akinyele said he was opportuned to visit the NFA GlassHouse
recently in Abuja on a fact-finding mission, and he expressed
disgust at what he saw at the Football secretariat.
He said the building was built like a magician’s house.
He said the rooms were like ‘the-more you look, the
less you see’ format and that the whole place was stinking.
Former Green Eagles star midfielder, Haruna Ilerika, had slammed
Uwua for his team’s poor outing in Congo.
Ilerika said Uwua should have focused more attention on his
team, instead of boasting to the Press of being able to surpass
the achievements of his predecessor.
“I wonder what kind of coach we have with the Under-20
side,” Ilerika said.
“Instead of working hard on his team, he was busy putting
the cart before the horse. He was boasting that he would surpass
the achievements of Siasia, instead of concentrating on how
to build a good team for the country,” he added.
The vice chairman of the Lagos State Football Association
(LSFA) went on to predict doom for the country if we take
the present Flying Eagles team to the World Youth Championship,
but he wouldn’t go as far as asking for the sacking
of Coach Uwua.
“If we keep this team, we may be disgraced at the World
Cup in Canada.
The Flying Eagles wobbled to get to the finals of the just-ended
African Youth Championship, and they lost to hosts Congo.
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