According to Allen Onyema, the CEO of Air Peace, the secondary school football teams from the 1980s would emerge victorious if they were to compete against the present-day Super Eagles team.
Onyema’s belief may have been influenced by the recent performance of the Nigerian senior team, which has only won four out of nine games under new manager Jose Peseiro, suffering defeats in the remaining five matches. Throughout these games, the team managed to score 18 goals while conceding 15.
Onyema reminisced about the challenging nature of secondary school football in the past, highlighting an incident where a student from Government College, Ughelli, was tragically killed during a match in Agbarho, Delta State. He emphasized that secondary school teams in the 1970s would easily outperform the present national team, emphasizing the toughness and superiority of those teams compared to the current setup.
The 59-year-old expressed concern over the lack of sports facilities in schools, particularly the absence of playgrounds and open spaces in modern-day secondary schools, which now occupy multi-story buildings. He lamented the protective nature of parents, preventing their children from experiencing street life and engaging in sports.
Onyema advocated for utilizing football as a means to generate employment opportunities and urged the government to prioritize sports. He called on the government to invest in sports, create a safe environment for people to engage in recreational activities on weekends, and bring back the enthusiasm and following that football once enjoyed.
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