Bonfrere Jo bemoans Nigeria’s participation in Olympics without football

Former Super Eagles assistant technical adviser, JohannesFranciscus Bonfrere has decried Nigeria’s absence in the football events ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Bonfrere Jo, as he is popularly called, while speaking with reporters said Nigeria can no longer be termed a footballing nation following their failure to qualify for the football events.

It will be recalled that Nigeria’s men and women football teams will miss out on the action when the Olympics kickoff later this month.

The men’s team failed to emerge from group stages of the 2019 U23 African Cup of Nation (AFCON) while the Super Falcons’ quest was also halted by Cote d’Ivore via an away goal earlier the same year.

“Yes, I am disappointed as Nigeria is a big footballing nation and normally you can expect that Nigeria should have qualified but unfortunately, they didn’t.

“In 1996, we had a great achievement winning the gold and now they can’t follow up the situation and that is why is not good for Nigeria going to Olympics without football,” he said.

The 75-year-old Dutch tactician further advised relevant authorities to begin training ahead of the 2024 Olympics Games.

In “The next three years, the Olympic Games starts again and if you want to go to the Olympics, you have to start training now. Time is running out and sometimes you think four years is a long time. You don’t begin training in six months or one year,” he noted.