RIO :SIASIA’S BIAS DENIED NIGERIA OF LIKELY GOLD IN FOOTBALL

RIO :SIASIA’S BIAS DENIED NIGERIA OF LIKELY GOLD

IN FOOTBALL

BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU

……………………………………………FIFA’S TECHNICAL REPORT EXPOSES SIASIA’S

FLAWS ON CHOICE OF GOALKEEPER

A FIFA technical study group report  on the performance of all the goalkeepers  that were in between the sticks at the just concluded Olympic Games held in Rio De Janiero,Brazil  in the Male category of the football event has  fingered Daniel Akpeyi of Chipa United of South Africa as the best goalkeeper.

This reporter while running a social media commentary on the football event of the global showpiece just rounded up in Latin America had carpeted Emmanuel Daniel for committing several school boys errors in the opening game against Japan and even later on in several other matches he kept in goal in the course of the entire tournament as he made Nigeria very vulnerable but the Under 23 Technical crew felt otherwise.

The more experienced Daniel Akpeyi had played against the Pharaohs of Egypt  during a competitive game for Nigeria in which he did excellently well and was widely expected to have continued with the Under 23 team at the Olympics from where he stopped for the Super Eagles .

Akpeyi was a member of the Nigeria national under-20 football team at 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in Netherlands and was in the 22-man squad before the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics, but did not see action in either tournament. He was also called up to the 23-man squad for the 2014 African Nations Championship as a backup to Chigozie Agbim.^[7]
On 6 May 2014 Akpeyi was named in the 30-man provisional squad ahead of 2014 FIFA World Cup.^[8]
He made his first full cap in 2015, called in for the friendly vs. South Africa as a replacement for an injured Vincent Enyeama. He saved a penalty and was lauded for his strong keeping in his Man of the Match performance.^[9]
He was selected by Nigeria for their 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics.^[10]

Checks by the News Office Desk of Paedia Express Multimedia showed that Emmanuel Daniel of Enugu Rangers conceded at least   six goals out of a possible ten to school boy errors.

This will not be the first time ,Coach Samson Siasia will display bias in team selection as during the game against the Pharaohs of Egypt in an AFCON elimination qualifier recently ,Siasia played an impotent Stanley Amuzie ahead of the more experienced and mercurial Elderson Echiejiele  of A.S.Monaco,in France.

At the Rio Olympics proper, Amuzie’s incompetence was finally put on display for the whole world to see thus justifying the decision of Seria A giants ,Sampdoria of Genoa not to tie him down with a permanent deal as he went to Olhanense in the Portuguese league instead to save his career.