The Sun News On-line

Nice of France central defender, and member of the Under-23 national team, Onyekachi Apam, has expressed optimism that the Dream Team IV would perform creditably well in the forthcoming Olympics in Beijing.

Apam, who was part of the Under-20 team, which won silver at the World Youth Championship (WYC) in Holland in 2005, has reiterated the consensus view shared by most of his teammates that they’re out to do Nigeria proud at the Olympics.

He told Daily Sunsport that the success achieved at the Atlanta ’96 Olympics was still fresh in their minds, and that it would serve as a tonic and springboard for the Dream Team IV to capture the gold medal at the Games. He assured that the team would stop at nothing to repeat that feat.

According to him: “This is a good opportunity for me and my teammates to go out there and make history for ourselves just like Kanu Nwankwo and others did in 1996.”
Apam said that his major aspiration for the Coach Siasia-led team was nothing short of gold, insisting that he and his teammates were not merely wishing for gold, but are working very hard to achieve the feat, which he noted, would be a daunting task.

Asked to react to the big names that are expected at the Olympics like Lionel Messi of Argentina, Brazilian Ronaldinho, among others, Apam said he and his teammates would not be intimidated by anybody.

“Football is about 11 players on either side of the pitch. When we went to Holland (for the 2005 WYC), a good number of us were unknown regular home-based players, but at the end of the day, we did very well. We will just go there and play our game.”

He stressed that they would face each game as they come and would not be distracted.
On Coach Samson Siasia, Apam stressed that the team’s handler has remained a wonderful coach, who has a unique mutual relationship with his players. “He is like our elder brother, a good motivator, who we the young players look up to,” he said.

“He succeeded in Holland, I think he will also succeed in Beijing,” he added.