“I am lucky to have left Nigeria early” – Jay Jay Okocha.
The-above are the words of one of the greatest players in Nigeria’s football history. Austin Jay Jay Okocha’s words speak volumes, particularly, directly to the state of football development in Nigeria.
He said that it was Europe that honed the natural talent that he had when he left Nigeria for Germany at the age of 18. Without the facilities and coaching personnel in Europe, he would never have attained the heights in football that he did.
Think about it. Like Nigeria’s crude oil, Nigeria’s football ‘raw materials’ have to be taken to abroad for refining, when everyone agrees that the route to prosperity lies in refining them domestically.
According to Okocha, the answers to Nigeria’s football development are simple – good facilities and grounds for training players and for playing matches, experienced and knowledgeable coaches, and a
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