Former coach of Shooting Stars Sports Club of Ibadan, Godfrey Esu has warned the Golden Eaglets to avoid the temptation of accepting offer from ‘dubious agents’ in the on-going FIFA U-17 Cup in Brazil.
The Golden Eaglets are the most successful team in the tournament, having won a record five Cup titles. They were champions at the inaugural edition at China ’85, Japan ‘93, Korea 2007, UAE 2013 and Chile 2015.
A 3-2 victory over Ecuador in their second group match earlier this week saw the Golden Eaglets becoming the first team to reach the Round of 16 of the tournament.
The team played its last group match against Australia yesterday night.
Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, Esu, a veteran coach in the domestic league stated that inasmuch as the players need the services of the agents to establish a base in their football career, they must stay away from ‘dubious’ ones.
“At this early stage of their football career, the players should be made to understand that there are many dangerous and dubious elements out there parading themselves as agents representing one club or the other in Europe and other parts of the world. When they get abroad they will collect their commission and leave the poor player in no man’s land without any support. In most cases, this leads to the players not being able to fulfill the promise and potential he showed at a younger age. Our players must be careful not to fall into such trap because a majority of these dubious agents are only interested in what goes into their pocket. They don’t care what happens to the career of the players in the future.
“The competition is still at its early stage and I expect the NFF officials to work closely with the coaches to stop the agents from encroaching into the team’s camp. This is necessary for the players to remain focus on the assignment they are out to do in Brazil. They (players) should forget about the money at the stage, do the right thing by showcasing their football talent to the world. That is what the U-17 Cup is all about. The money will come later. But as I said, they must stay away from dubious agents,” Esu stated.
Before the competition kicked off last week, the NFF equally warned the players and their officials to avoid the distractions of football agents that would disturb them directly or indirectly in Brazil.
General Secretary of the football federation, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, who handed the warning, also urged the players to focus on their games, put up excellent performance to improve their market values.
