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Tag: Amuneke

  • Amuneke to take experimental team to South Korea

    Amuneke to take experimental team to South Korea

    Nigeria’s U-17 side, Golden Eaglets, would feature an experimental team at the 4-Nation Suwon Invitational Tournament in South Korea.

    Coach Emmanuel Amuneke said it was imperative that newly recruited fledgling players be exposed to the demands of top level matches ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile.

    In strong contention for the trip to the Far East are the likes of captain Kelechi Nwakali, goalkeeper Akpan Udoh, striker Victor Osimhen and defender Abass Usman from the squad that secured the ticket to Chile at the CAN U-17 Championship in Niger in March. New players like defender Ejike Ikwu, midfielder Gavi Opeoluwa  and striker Odufeso Babatunde may also  be considered.

    ” We have some exciting new players who have shown us some conviction in training but they need exposure and we are grateful for this tournament  opportunity in Korea,” Amuneke told thenff.com.

    The 4-Nation tournament will be played on a round-robin basis amongst host Korea, Nigeria, Brazil and USA between June 10 and 14.

  • Amuneke blames players for CAF U-17 shame • Says God ‘willed our defeat’

    Amuneke blames players for CAF U-17 shame • Says God ‘willed our defeat’

    Coach of the Nigeria U-17 Eaglets, Emmanuel Amuneke  says his team’s dismal performance in the third place play-off against Guinea on Sunday, was entirely his players’ fault and it was God’s will for the team to miss out of a podium spot.

    Amuneke, who was a member of the Golden Eaglets’ coaching crew at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, was commissioned by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF to lead Nigeria’s title defence in the 2015 World Cup in Chile.

    Although the team had already booked a World Cup ticket after it went top of its group and qualified for the semi-final, prompting the coach to suggest that the World Cup qualification was the primary target, Amuneke said it was God’s will that Nigeria missed out on a title in Niger.

    “We have qualified to Chile, but I understand our standards and how much Nigerians want titles. We’ve dominated on the continent in the past and it’s understandable if the fans demand more titles.

    “At this stage most of the countries are growing, it’s a developmental stage and Nigeria has been doing same to ensure players grow. We played a draw in the group stage but they were better than us in the third place meeting, Though we took the lead in the game our players lost focus and conceded cheap goals.

    “Against South Africa, we had several chances coming off the bar and at that point we knew it was just ill luck and it wasn’t God’s will for us to win the tournament,” Amuneke offered.

     

  • Former Eaglets coach blames Amuneke for loss

    Former Eaglets coach blames Amuneke for loss

    Former Golden Eaglets coach Alphonsus Dike has blamed Nigeria’s U-17 semi-final defeat to their South African counterpart on contentment and complacency.

    Dike told www.footballlive.ng shortly after the match that the team got lost in the euphoria of having achieved the minimum expected target from them being a World Cup ticket.

    Dike explained that the World Cup ticket brought a feeling of satisfaction on the psychology of the team which ultimately led to them being complacent and hence the loss to South Africa.

    ” They were complacent, having qualified for the World Cup they probably felt that was the ultimate. I had always insisted it was the responsibility of the coach to make the players continue with the momentum from the group stage, obviously it was a psychological thing and their attitude towards the game cost them.”

    Nigeria conceded a 26th minute goal in Niamey and it proved to be enough for the Amajimbos to record an infamous win over the Eaglets in the first semi-final of the 2015 CAF U-17 Championship on Wednesday.

  • Amuneke carpets Eaglets’ performance against Guinea

    Amuneke carpets Eaglets’ performance against Guinea

    Emmanuel  Amuneke, Golden Eaglets’ Head coach, has described the team’s first half performance in the pulsating 1-1 draw against Guinea  at the 11th African U-17 Championship as the worst since he took over the reins of the team almost a year ago.

    Speaking at the post match conference, Amuneke said he was shocked about the team’s performance especially in the first half, even as he praised their resilience for salvaging a point.

    “Frankly, this was our worst performance and the worst I have seen from these boys because we lost the initiative and composure of the game to the Guineans, “he said. ” We knew that the Guineans have some good individual players in No. 8( Abdul Karim Conte); No. 11( Abdoulaye Jules Keita) and No. 14( Yamodou Toure)  but we expected our boys to  compose themselves much better.”

    He, however, admitted that the tactical changes he made thereafter in the second half helped the team as Ebere Osinachi and  Orji Okonkwo who respectively  replaced Christian Charles and Suleiman Abdullahi forced the  Guineans to commit several fouls.

    “Of course, I want to praise the players for their resilience in getting a draw against Guinea because this was a difficult game for them,” he said.

    “We played much better in the second half and it was good we got the equalizer.

    “I’m not the referee and I think he is in better position to know if our equalizer was a good penalty or not. We deserved what we got but we would continue to work more for the coming matches.”

    Nigeria play Zambia on Saturday as they sought after a semifinal place and a ticket to the 2015  FIFA Under-17 World Cup slated for Chile later this year.

     

  • Amuneke predicts tough test against Niger

    Amuneke predicts tough test against Niger

    Golden Eaglets’ Head Coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, has predicted a tough test for his wards when they open their 11th African U-17 Championship account against Niger at the Stade Général Seyni Kountché (SGSK) in Niamey on Sunday.

    The former Barcelona star believes a win against the host would set a good omen as Nigeria push for the trophy yet again. Golden Eaglets nearly won the championship the last time in Morocco but lost to Cote d’Ivoire in a dramatic 5-4 penalty shootout, after a pulsating 1-1 draw.

    “The first game is very important and we want to win irrespective of the fact that we are meeting Niger,” said Amuneke who scored a brace in the 2-1 win over Zambia at 1994 African Cup of Nations Final Match.

    “Of course, we know it is never going to be an easy match because both teams would like to win. “

    He said he was not oblivious about the huge test of playing against the host in front of a partisan crowd, adding his wards must gird their loins:”We have told the players in clear terms that we want nothing but victory against Niger,” he said.” It’s never going to be easy but we must be tactically and psychologically sound for this match.”

    Golden Eaglets’, who are drawn in Group A, would subsequently play Guinea and Zambia on February 18 and 22 respectively but Amuneke further stated that the focus of the team is Sunday’s match against Niger: “Mentally, we must be prepared for the home team but if we win, it will put us on course for other matches.”

    Meanwhile, the Golden Eaglets have started their build up towards Sunday’s opening fixture against Niger with impressive sessions at the practice pitch of Stade Général Seyni Kountché (SGSK) on Friday.

    All the 21 players featured in the Morning session with players put under their paces in fitness exercises; passing drill; marking amongst others.

    Amuneke psyched the players on the stiff test to expect on Sunday as the team fine tunes all the rough edges:”We need to psychologically prepare ourselves in all circumstances because in football, you can never neglect the inconveniences,”he said. “Our idea is that we want to win though we don’t know what the match can bring, we must be able to resolve the issue.”

  • Amuneke hails Sokoto fans

    Former Super Eagles winger and 1994 African Footballer of the Year, Emmanuel Amunke, who is in charge of the national U-17 team, the Golden Eaglets, was full of praise for the passionate Sokoto football fans after his team thrashed Fasbir Integrated Football Academy in a 4-1 win at the Giginya Memorial Stadium in Sokoto on Wednesday.

    Amuneke was visibly impressed with the massive turnout of the fans at the stadium to witness the Eaglets play their last warm up match before the tournament proper, Niger 2015.

    “First and foremost, we want to thank the people of Sokoto for their hospitality and support to us since the first day we arrived here,” Amuneke stated.

    “Our appreciations also go to the Sultan, the government and ordinary fans who are wishing us well as we travel to Niger for the African Under-17 championship.”

    Speaking further, Amuneke said the youngsters of Fasbir Academy have nothing to be ashamed of because they put up a brave performance against the Niamey-bound Golden Eaglets.

    “Personally, I’m taking some positives from this match since it allowed us to see how much we have adapted to the weather in Sokoto, which is almost the same as what we are going to meet in Niamey,” he noted.

    “I must also commend Fasbir because this is about the best academy we have played. I don’t want to single out a particular player but collectively, I like them because this is what a model academy should be.”

    Meanwhile, the Golden Eaglets consisting of 21 players and 10 officials would depart Sokoto for Niamey on Thursday, to seek glory at the 11th African U-17 Championship slated to hold between February 15 and March 1.

  • Hard work will see Eaglets through -Amuneke

    Hard work will see Eaglets through -Amuneke

    Coach of Nigeria’s U-17 national team Emmanuel Amuneke has stated that the Golden Eaglets will keep working hard to inspire each other despite having a good run in recent friendly games played.

    The team is preparing for next month’s Africa U-17 Championship  which will hold in Niger Republic.

    In a chat with footballlive.ng, Amuneke disclosed that they will work hard to improve and better themselves in all aspects on the pitch. In football and even in all categories of life, nobody is going to give you anything free. You have to look for it and work for it as well.

    “Definitely, we’ll continue to push ourselves, inspire ourselves to see how we can continue to grow and develop better as a unit and as a team.”

    The 2015 African U-17 Championship will be the 16th edition of the competition for players aged 17 and below and organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The tournament will take place in Niger, and was originally scheduled to be held between May 2 and 16.

    However, the date of the opening match was pushed forward to February 15, with the tournament scheduled to conclude with the final on March 1.

  • 2015 CAF U-17 championship: Eaglets aiming to win trophy – Amuneke

    2015 CAF U-17 championship: Eaglets aiming to win trophy – Amuneke

    Golden Eaglets coach, Emmanuel Amuneke has suggested that he wants to surpass the achievements of the immediate past Eaglets team, as they continue final preparations for the 2015 CAF U-17 championship in Niger Republic.

    Amuneke, who was on the Eaglets’ coaching crew that finished second at the last African U-17 tournament in Morocco, says he and his players are hoping to go one step further this time, by winning the competition.

    “We did well the last time in Morocco but this time we are hoping to do better. We want to win the tournament in Niger Republic and I have said this to my players.

    “Our preparations have been going smoothly so far and we hope it continues this way till we get to Niger Republic, but we understand the challenge we have,” Amuneke told sl10.ng.

    But despite expressing optimism about the chances of his team, Amuneke reckons it is going to be a tough tournament.

    “We know it is not going to be easy, it’s going to be tough and we are preparing for that. The other teams will also be going there with the aim of winning and we cannot underrate any team.

    “We always have to show respect to our opponents but we still have to play our game however it is, and hopefully we shall succeed.”

  • Amuneke prunes Golden Eaglets’ recruits

    Amuneke prunes Golden Eaglets’ recruits

    Emmanuel Amuneke, Golden Eaglets’ Head Coach, has fore closed the likelihood of screening fresh players with hordes still trooping 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 hand again and we have been kind enough to see what some of you can offer but today is the final day . 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 documented  irregularities have been cut off from the pool and a further 44 screened for lacking the 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 of February 15 at the Stade Général Seyni Kountché (SGSK) multi-purpose stadium in Niamey.

     

  • Amuneke finally opens Facebook account

    Amuneke finally opens Facebook account

    In a bid to further interact with his teeming fans, Golden Eaglets’ Head coach, Emmanuel Amuneke, has finally opened an account on the famous social platform, Facebook.

    The former Barcelona star recently disassociated himself from a spurious account on the social platform but reckons it is about time he joins the networking train in order to mingle more with the fans.

    “I think it is about time I make a presence on Facebook because of the huge demand from the fans that want my opinions on football issues,” said the former Nigerian international who occasionally appears on Al Jazzier Sport as a soccer pundit.

    He added: “It has always been my dream to share my knowledge of the game with people and I think Facebook is an opportunity to reach out to so many.”

    On the last check, over 50 persons have made friend’s request to the account within just few days of opening but Amuneke has warned against any untoward conduct on the altar of social networking.

    “I have only opened this account on Facebook strictly because of football and there is nothing more to this other than that,” Amuneke noted.

    “There is the need to interact with the fans, especially those who want my opinion about my former club, Barcelona.”

    He, however, pleaded for patience from those he has not confirmed their friendship request because of his present tight schedule:” I’m not going to be on Facebook all the time but I will attend to every request as soon as possible.”