Ex-Nigeria defender Chikelue Iloenyosi talks about the 2018 World Cup, his exclusion from Korea/Japan 2002, the domestic league and more in this interview with ’TANA AIYEJINA
The Super Eagles are in a tough and tricky group that has Croatia, Iceland and Argentina at the 2018 World Cup. What are the Eagles’ chances of advancing from the group stage?
Nigeria is a very big country, so also is Croatia, Iceland and Argentina. What we need is good preparation. The preparation will determine how far we are going to go at the World Cup, and I believe we are having it right now.
What’s your assessment of the team after the friendlies against Poland and Serbia?
The friendlies we played exposed so many problems for us to see. I’m happy we played against Serbia and Poland; it helped the team, because we have been winning and nobody could see the faults in the team. Now we have seen the loopholes of the team for the coach to work on.
Some say striker Brown Ideye and Efe Ambrose should have been included in coach Gernot Rohr’s 30-man list for the World Cup. Do you agree?
Honestly, I think Ideye and Ambrose would have made a very big impact because they are highly experienced in the Super Eagles. When I saw the list I was down because the two players could have helped the team. But the coach’s decision is final.
How do you see the inclusion of Kano Pillars striker, Junior Lokosa, a home-based player, in the team?
I don’t have anything to say about him. Like I said the coach’s decision is final, he knows why he invited him. Everything depends on the technical team and the coach and I wish him the very best of luck.
How would you rate the Nigeria Football Federation, in terms of sponsorship, planning and organisation ahead of the World Cup?
The NFF has done very well in terms of preparations for the World Cup and I’m very happy. The president of the federation, AmajuPinnick, is doing really great, and everybody can see. So there’s no cause for alarm administration wise. This is the first time we have a president who is capable, someone who have been able to convince sponsors to invest in Nigerian football. This hasn’t happened for a long time. So, in terms of administration, I think this federation is doing very well.
We lost to Argentina in four previous World Cup outings. Do you think this team can turn the table against the South Americans this time around?
Right now, we have the youngest team in the world; the players need to understand the technicalities of the game and how they should play, that’s very important. If they have the right mentality, they can beat the Argentines in Russia.
As an ex-international, which areas do you think the Eagles should fortify before the trip to Russia?
The area that should be fortified is the defence, the defence is very important. We have good players, it’s just for them to know the role and what they have to do, and also play to the coach’s instruction.
What about the goalkeeping department, which has generated a lot of worries after Carl Ikeme was diagnosed with acute leukaemia?
You can only work with the tools you have. I think the best keeper for the number one position is Ikechukwu Ezenwa. I watched the boy from Spain, (Francis) Uzoho, and we were all panicking till the end of the game. Ezenwa is the best for now. We saw him during the qualifiers; the records and statistics are there to show. You have to play with what you have; you can’t loan a keeper from another country. So, we need to give whoever the coach chooses the support and confidence to keep for his country.
You were supposed to be part of the 2002 World Cup. Why didn’t you make that squad?
(Coach Adegboye) Onigbinde and Henry Nwosu dropped me from the squad. Will I kill myself after I was dropped? The team went there and they didn’t play well. They came back and we started living our lives again. When they drop you for a player you know you are better than is what pains you. They dropped me, Wilson Oruma and a lot of other players because of the home-based players they wanted to take to the World Cup. Life goes on.
Several other players who were believed to be part of a mafia controlling the team were also dropped from Korea/Japan ’02. Was there really a mafia in that squad?
There was nothing like that. For example, me, Austin Okocha, Uche Okechukwu and Ike Shorumu were in Turkey. Whenever we were coming to play for Nigeria, we booked our flight tickets together. And if you had to share a room, you did it with someone you came with. They (officials) felt those who played in Turkey were on one side, those in Germany on another side and so on. The truth is, there was nothing like mafia. For instance, me and Yakubu Aiyegbeni used to stay in one room but we don’t talk to each other on the pitch; we used to fight every day, but that’s football. Yakubu doesn’t like to be kicked, but I kicked him around the pitch. After two days he would ask Bonfrere Jo to change him from my room.
Do you have any regrets not playing at the World Cup?
I don’t have any regrets. I played at the U-20 World Cup and the Olympics, so I don’t have any regrets. Once you are alive, you move on.
Now that you are back home after playing in European leagues, what is your assessment of the domestic League?
The domestic league is improving everyday but it’s a difficult task for Shehu Dikko because sponsors aren’t forthcoming the way they should. If we had enough sponsors, the Nigerian league would be the best. The man has brought new life to the league and the club owners, everyone is happy with the development of our football.
Enyimba are the only Nigerian team left in Africa after Plateau United, MFM and Akwa United crashed out. What’s your view about the domestic clubs’ decline on the continent?
It does not speak well of us. Like I always say, you have to play with what you have. Go to these clubs that you mentioned and ask if they have paid their players; that is a bad motivation and the boys can never be happy under such circumstances. Enyimba conceded three goals in their last continental game; they were cheap goals. They (players) lost concentration. The problem is the teams and the technical aspects. We have the players but how to manage them is very inportant.
Are you saying that our coaches don’t have the technical ability yet?
They have the technical ability but they need to put some things in place. The likes of Paul Aigbogun, Ladan Bosso and others are good coaches. When a team is playing, it is from that moment you know if the coach has a free hand. When you have a free hand, you can do what you want to do, but here from that moment they will sack you. The club should leave the coach to do his job, he should be allowed to pick his team. Ifeanyi Ubah is using his personal funds to run his club, that is why he decided to bring the best players and they are very solid.
But there were reports that even FC IfeanyiUbah were owing their players four months’ salary…
(Cuts in) That’s a rumour. Ifeanyi Ubah does not owe any player. Go to Turkey, several clubs have not paid their players. Lazio didn’t pay (Ogenyi) Onazi for two months. Clubs may have challenges, but that doesn’t mean they won’t pay. Almost all the clubs in Nigeria owe players. Look at the Taraba issue, these players are being owed for nearly two years.
Do you agree that ex-internationals have not been fully involved in running Nigerian football?
Playing for Nigeria is different from managing football. If you have what it takes to manage Nigerian football, follow due process. If you win an election, then you stand a chance .One thing I know is that if Amaju knows you are very creative and has integrity; he will work with you. I’m his Special Adviser and its purely on merit. Football isn’t what’s giving me money but it’s my passion. You have to do other things to make money if you can’t make it through football.
Copyright PUNCH.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: theeditor@punchng.com
Source: Punch
We appreciate you for reading our post, but we think it will be better you like our facebook fanpage and also follow us on twitter below.