Amuneke rules out new Eaglets invitees

Emmanuel Amuneke, Golden Eaglets’ Head Coach, has foreclosed likelihood of screening fresh players with hordes still droop­ing to the NFF/FIFA Goal Project Pitch in Abuja.

Though the ‘screening window’ to beef up Niger 2015-bound Golden Eaglets was concluded over a week ago with about 100 play­ers picked from a rigorous exercise, the coaching crew magnanimously allowed few more recruits since they had travelled far and wide to Abuja.

“We don’t have time on our hands again and we have been kind enough to see what some of you can offer, but today is the final day,” said Amuneke after Tues­day’s evening session.

“Our philosophy is simple which hard work is and we are not going to compromise it.

“I want you to go back to your various academies and continue to work harder be­cause there could be another opportunity if we qualify for the World Cup in Chile by the grace of God,” said the former Nigerian interna­tional.

Already about 20 players with various document ir­regularities had been cut off from the pool and a further 44 screened for lacking in technical and tactical abili­ties. Officials said the re­mainder are being subjected to intensive training in order to ascertain their consistency over a time frame and would further be pruned to a man­ageable number in the com­ing days.

“We are gradually get­ting to the moment of truth,” noted Prince Udofia, Golden Eaglets’ Coordinator.

“The coaching crew has done a very good job and there is no way the screen­ing can go on forever; of course, many would want to be given another chance but the time before the start of our competition is short,” he noted. Niger 2015, the 11th African U-17 Champion­ship would be held in Nia­mey between February 15 and March 1st. The Golden Eaglets are drawn in Group A along with host, Niger; Guinea and Zambia. Nigeria and their northern neighbour, Niger, would play the cham­pionship’s opening fixture on February 15 at the Stade Général Seyni Kountché (SGSK) multi-purpose Sta­dium in Niamey.

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