By Albert Akota
Newly appointed national U23 football team and former Nigeria international, Samson Siasia says he will be having an open camp in a bid to get the next set of players for the team ahead of the 2015 All Africa Games.
The 47-year-old former Flying Eagles coach is also expected to raise a team for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil, and says because there aren’t any players on any list; he will be having an open screening exercise where interested players are expected to participate.
“You know we don’t have a list (of players), we just want to scout, and do an open trial as soon as we agree on it and that’s what I have discussed with Emmanuel Ikpeme (Director of technical at the NFF) and the General Secretary. And we’ll start as soon as they agree because I have already told them when we want to start,” said Siasia.
“If it is okay, we will start working with the players we will see and find those ones we think have the talent and put them aside while we continue the screening, and try to build a team while we’re doing that, but if you don’t start, you’ll never finish.”
Siasia was in-charge of the U23 team that won the silver medal in the football event of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in China, but his successor and former Eagles teammate Austin Eguavoen couldn’t qualify Nigeria for the 2012 Olympics in London.
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