Former chairman of the technical committee of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Barrister Chris Green has mocked the decision of new Super Eagles’ coach, Eric Chelle to invite 39 players for upcoming World Cup qualifiers, Sports247 reports.
Although he admitted that the Franco-Malian tactician has a right to make his own choices and selections as the new man on charge, Barrister Green reckoned that having too many players in camp would cause distractions.
READ ALSO: Super Eagles Must Start AFCON Preparations Immediately After World Cup Qualifiers – Loveday Omoruyi
He reasoned further that Chelle may want to start on a fresh note and from scratch by observing as many players as possible during his first assignment with the three time African champions, but Green insisted that the list is overcrowded.
Green, who is currently the commissioner for sports in Rivers State, retorted, “We have a new coach, and he has pencilled down 39 names. I am sure he wants to see these guys, and he’s not seen them before. He’s just mounting the saddle, and he needs to get acquainted with our players. At the end of the day, he’ll pick those of them he thinks would be able to win these games for him.
However, the only part which is not really going down well with me is that, for you to get a new coach, he should be able to know your team in and out before employing him. He shouldn’t appear to be a stranger, somebody coming for the first time, knowing just a few of our players. That’s not really good, and it doesn’t augur really well for us.”
While hinting that the coach should be left open to prove himself and show that he actually knows what he is doing, Green stressed that the number of invitees called-up by Chelle leaves room for suggestions that the new gaffer wants to conduct screening in the senior national team.
He added, “Here we are; a whopping 39 players. What are you going to do with 39 players? Are you going to conduct screening or what? In the senior national team, do you do screening? Will you do screening at this level with the Super Eagles?
You don’t do screening at this level. So, I don’t know what he intends to achieve with that and what time does he have to put these players together, then prune them to the number he wants … though nobody has told us the number that will go for those two games,” Green pondered.
He theorised though that Chelle might have a trick or two up his sleeve, hence his willingness to give the tactician some benefit of doubt until after the March 21st clash away to Rwanda and the next fixture at home with Zimbabwe four days later in Uyo.
, Barrister Chris Green has mocked the decision){kind=link}