EMMANUEL AMUNEKE: My Academy WILL Return

Former Super Eagles star, Emmanuel Amuneke has downplayed recent reports about the disbandment of a Lagos-based football academy named after him, but stated in a telephone chat with allnigeriasoccer.com that the project is on ‘recess’.

The 1994 African Footballer Of The Year, who is currently an assistant coach of the under-17 national team, Golden Eaglets, however, admitted that the players have to be knocked into proper shape and says things have to be put right at the academy, which is located in the Lagos suburb of Ikorodu.

“It is not that the academy is disbanded,” said the star, who played for defunct Julius Berger FC of Lagos, Zamalek of Egypt, Sporting Lisbon of Portugal and FC Barcelona of Spain in his hey day.

“All I can say for now is that we are on recess at the moment; so that we can have time to take stock and restrategize to make the academy better and come back stronger.”

The ex-player, who has also coached Ocean Boys of Brass and Julius Berger of Lagos in the domestic league also spoke on complaints in some quarters that he has not been able to use his influence to arrange players from his academy in the Eaglets.

He explained: “No one should accuse me of not helping any of the academy’s players into the Golden Eaglets. If a player is not good enough for the national team, I will not say because he is my boy then go ahead to give him a place, when other better players are available.

“I will not take a player who is not good enough, but we can keep them in the academy and train them, which we have been doing without asking them to pay any money for all that we gave.”

Sam O'Femi Fasetire