Beijing Olympics: Oladipo warns Siasia against sentiment

Niyi Alebiosu, Lagos - 06.05.2008

The chief coach of the national Under-23 team, Samson Siasia, has been advised not to be sentimental about picking players for the football event at the Beijing Olympics, just as the Nigeria Football Supporters Club (NFSC) felicitate with its sole sponsor and financier, Dr. Mike Adenuga, on his 55th birthday anniversary.

Speaking with Tribunesports during the presentation of a giant birthday card to the chairman of Globacom Nigeria Limited at his corporate office, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, president general NFSC said that for Siasia to achieve success at the Olympics he need to have best legs in the country and that he should ensure that players that would make the team were picked on merit and not through the backdoor or godfatherism.

According to him, the olympics is not what any coach should toy with moreso that it has been a long time the country excelled at the event.

Ladipo, who personally presented the giant birthday card to Adenuga also advised the Bayelsa-born coach to submit his programme for the games to the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) in time ahead of the Olympics and also called on the NFA to give all necessary support to the team to achieve success.

"As you know that the Olympics is fast approaching and players have been invited preparatory to the games slated for August, I am appealing to Siasia to select players on merit. though I believe in him, but still he should be advised to select players strictly on merit. By so doing he will achieve results," he said.

The President General, as he is fondly, called, however congratulated Dr. Mike Adenuga on his 55th birthday anniversary and prayed for long life for the man who has been sponsoring the club for some years now.