Babangida charges Umar to grab Super Eagles chance with both hands
Aformer international, Tijani Babangida has called on Super Eagles invitee, Sadiq Umar to make the best use of the opportunity given to him by Gernot Rohr.
The lanky striker who plays for Spanish Segunda Division side, UD Alimera is among the 23 players invited for the 2021 AFCON qualifiers against Benin Republic and Lesotho later this month.
Speaking to Daily Trust yesterday, Babangida who is the president of Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) advised the youngster to justify his selection by giving his best anytime he is called upon to play.
He said the invitation of the member of the 2016 Olympics bronze winning team didn’t come to him as a surprise because he has shown his scoring abilities especially now that he is playing regularly for UD Alimera.
“I am happy that Sadiq Umar has been invited to fight for a shirt in the Super Eagles. There are so many young strikers out there who deserve to be given the opportunity to play.
“My only advice to him is that he should grab this chance with both hands. I have followed his progress years and I can say there is so much improvement in his game.
“If Sadiq and Osimhen combine in the attack, Super Eagles will reap the benefits,” he said.
Meanwhile, Babangida also advised Genk striker Paul Onuachu to keep working hard despite his failure to make the 23-man squad.
The bullish striker who has scored 25 goals for his Belgian club in the ongoing season could only make the standby list.
This has come to many as a surprise, especially those who feel he should have been listed ahead of clubless Ahmed Musa.
“I want the young player to keep working hard. Age is on his side so his own time will come. He should stay focused,” said Babangida.
Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, the Nigeria Basketball Federation has pledged to make quality friendly matches available for D’Tigers and D’Tigress as part of their preparations for the games.
The president of the NBBF Engr Musa Kida said “We have received some friendly game invitations from countries from Europe, America and Africa. We are currently going through these requests to pick the best for our teams.”
Explaining the yardsticks for these friendlies, Kida said, “The teams will be facing some quality oppositions from different continents and it is expedient that we get them teams that will provide something close to what they are going to see in Tokyo.”
Kida reiterated that the teams are not going to the Olympics just to add to the number of teams, hence the need for a thorough preparation.
“We have not decided on the countries to play against, but in the coming weeks, we will finalise all arrangements and make the big announcements”.
Both teams ranked number one in Africa emerged as the only team sport flying the country’s flag in Tokyo after an unprecedented qualification.
The football teams, the national U-23 male team and the Super Falcons had failed to qualify for the games after dismal performances.