Former Super Eagles striker, Julius Aghahowa, has expressed concern over the lack of transparency surrounding the preparations of the Flying Eagles ahead of the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina. Aghahowa, who was a highly-regarded youth international, was asked if he knew of any players in the current squad he could rely on when they take on the Dominican Republic on May 21.
Aghahowa stated that he could not assess the team as he did not know any of the players who would be going to Argentina. He noted that things had changed a lot since his time, as they used to train at the National Stadium in Lagos, where thousands of fans would attend their training sessions. In contrast, the team now trains in secrecy, and nobody knows the players.
Aghahowa reminisced that during his time, thousands of fans would show up to watch them play, and the coach would have no choice but to select the best players. If a particular player was not good enough, the whole stadium would shout out their disapproval, and the coach would have no option but to drop the player. However, today, nobody knows the players, and everything is shrouded in secrecy, resulting in a disconnect between the team and the fans.
In contrast to the current situation, Aghahowa recalled that in their time, they played friendly matches against top clubs in Nigeria’s top-flight league, such as Bendel Insurance, Julius Berger, and Shooting Stars. Sometimes they would even play against their counterparts from the Republic of Benin at the National Stadium, where everyone knew the players, their positions, and the clubs they were coming from.
Aghahowa bemoaned that the team now operates in secret, and they are not even exposed to the media, making it difficult to assess or criticize the team. He concluded that nobody knows anything about the team except that some Nigerian players would be going to Argentina to participate in the U20 World Cup.
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