Chief Kazeem Eletu, Proprietor of Kazeem Eletu Football Academy Lagos, has canvassed for the establishment of professionally managed football academies across the country to take Nigerian football to the next level.
Eletu told the Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja that professionally managed football academies was the way to go to discover grassroots talents for the national teams, and government support was needed to develop these academies to engage the youth meaningfully and off the streets.
He said given the abundant talent in the country, we must begin to run football clubs and academies professionally like it obtains in Europe.
NAN reports that his academy engaged the Flying Eagles in a thrilling friendly that ended in a narrow 2-1 win for the national side which is preparing for the WAFU U-20 tournament.
The football proprietor said his well-drilled team that almost snatched victory from the Flying Eagles was only put together in two weeks.
“As you can see my boys played better and were more cohesive in the game. They were leading in the game up to the 70th minute, but because of fatigue and lack of concentration, the U-20 boys came back towards the tail end of the game,” he said.
He assured that the team will soon embark on a training tour of Morocco and some European countries to further expose his young boys.
The Eletu academy Lagos, tutored by a young French fitness coach, Alex Copolleni, is modelled after the French Ligue 1 clubside, Paris Saint German (PSG). (NAN)