The Nigeria Football Federation Technical Director, Bitrus Bewarang has urged clubs to cultivate the habit of employing quality goalkeeper trainers to avoid the current goalkeeping crisis in the Super Eagles.
The Super Eagles have been engulfed in a goalkeeping crisis following the sudden illness of number one choice Carl Ikeme since last August, and the development has seen Coach Gernot Rohr go out in search of a worthy replacement.
Bewarang, however, believes the situation would have been avoided if Nigerian clubs and academies prioritized the development of goalkeepers and employed quality hands to train them right from the beginning.
“I think the problem we have is that our clubs don’t employ quality goalkeeper trainers. We should be churning out good goalkeepers that is how it is supposed to be. Nigeria is too big a country to be searching for a capable replacement for the national team. If they heed this call, I think in the future we will not be in the situation we find ourselves,” Bewarang said.
Rohr has joggled the number one position between Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi, and recently Francis Uzoho.
However, these goalkeepers are likely candidates for the No.1 position while Alampasu, Austin Ejide, and Dele Aiyenugba are possible call-ups.
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