AOIFOOTBALL.COM Former Super Eagles midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju, says it is wrong to call young players the next Lionel Messi or Austine Jay Jay Okocha since it puts them under lots of pressure. Adepoju, who is also nicknamed the “headmaster” in his playing days disclosed this when he spoke with BBC Sport. According to him, local media and fans must stop as it is not good for the growth of the players. He said: “I believe calling young players in the youth teams as the next Messi or Jay-Jay Okocha is unfair and unnecessary. “Indulging in this comparison is setting them up for failure because the weight of expectations will definitely affect these players mentally. “It’s the main reason some players refused to work hard and be themselves because they easily get carried away by what the press ...
Former Nigeria international Mutiu Adepoju has pleaded with the Nigerian Football Federation to give Eagles coach Gernot Rohr a chance to operate freely. It will be recalled that Gernot Rohr recently signed a new two-year contract extension that will see the German finish as the longest-serving coach in Super Eagles history by the end of his tenure. In his reaction to the news of Rohr’s contract extension, the former Real Madrid player urged the NFF to give the Franco-German the free hand to work in order to achieve his targets. “Well, I think he’s supposed to have free hands because he’s willing to continue and the NFF is willing to renew his contract and it has been renewed so, he should just be allowed to do his work without any interference,” Mutiu said. Rohr, who has been in charge of...