Former Tremendous Eagles midfielder Duke Udi has expressed concern over the regular decline in Nigeria’s soccer improvement, blaming a part of the issue on the unwillingness of ex-internationals to take up teaching and mentorship roles.
Talking with journalists, Udi famous that in lots of footballing nations, retired gamers actively contribute to the game’s progress via teaching, expertise improvement, and administration.
Nonetheless, he lamented that in Nigeria, many former stars select to keep away from the sport, leaving the system within the arms of people with out correct soccer expertise.
“It’s unlucky that quite a lot of our ex-players are operating away from teaching,” Udi stated.
“In international locations like Spain, Germany, and even South Africa, former gamers are driving soccer progress. They move on their information and expertise to the subsequent technology. We don’t have sufficient of that right here.”
The previous Sunshine Stars coach added that the absence of ex-professionals within the teaching setup has created a spot in technical understanding and participant improvement inside the Nigerian league.
“If we preserve leaving soccer within the arms of people that by no means performed it at a excessive degree, our league will proceed to battle,” he warned. “We want former gamers to come back again, get their badges, and take cost of grassroots {and professional} soccer.”
Udi additionally urged the Nigeria Soccer Federation (NFF) to create higher pathways for ex-internationals eager about teaching, together with entry to licensing, mentorship, and developmental alternatives.
“We’ve the brains and expertise — we simply want the construction,” he concluded.
