Ahead Of Fifa Confederations Cup: Afe Babalola Urges Keshi To Beef Up Eagles With Patriotic Players

A legal icon and educationist, Aare Afe Babalola has expressed his desire to see Nigeria Super Eagles consolidating on the present feat recorded in South Africa where they won the 29th edition of African Cup of Nation by strengthening the team ahead of their next scheduled competition which is the FIFA Confederations Cup by more patriotic players.

“God has endowed our country with abundant soccer talents locally that are capable of sustaining us as a world power in the game if well harnessed”, these are his words while bearing his mind on how Super Eagles can sustain its new attainment to newsmen in Afe Bablola University Ado-Ekiti.

The sports philanthropist who redeemed N .6 million pledge he made to a grassroots team that was named after him in his home town, Ado-Ekiti urged the Nigerian Football Federations (NFF) to give the victorious Super Eagles’ Coach, Stephen Keshi a free hand and support to concentrate more on home-grown players.

Saying “I have faith and strong belief in Nigerian youths, if we desire to dominate the soccer scene for a long time globally, then we must look inward and fashion out a programme that will abet our football development at the grassroots.

“NFF should rid themselves-off unnecessary greed and back the man (Keshi) who had recorded a landmark achievement that had been eluding us for the past 19 years with the aid of local boys”, the Aare Baamofin of Yorubaland noted.

The Ekiti high Chief who had demonstrated his passion for the round leather game by donating millions of naira to Shooting Stars Sports Club, (3SC), sponsoring female team (NITO) in Nigeria Women League for many years and bankrolling Ibadan Football Association (IFA) League among many other kind gesture towards sports was of the opinion that home based players are more patriotic.

He however, pledged his continious support to Afe Babalola Babes who  were assembled within Ekiti and environs and have won all matches played even against professional teams, saying “one cannot but to encourage you by registering this team in Nigerian League where you would have opportunity of competing regularly to improve their skills”.

 Akanbi Agiri