By Akinwale Kasali
Former Golden Eaglets, Flying Eagles and Super Eagles striker, Benedict Akwuegbu, says he regrets donning the Green White Green Jersey of the National Team, the Super Eagles.
The former Sturm Graz Football Club of Austria forward regrets not playing for the Austrian National team. He rejected the offer of playing for the European National side during his active days in professional football.
The 45-year-old said after playing at the U-17, U-20, U-23 and the senior national teams, he deserved more recognition than he is getting from the Nigerian football authorities, lamenting the neglect he gets from the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.
According to him, “It is so sad that after serving my fatherland, the football authorities don’t seem to appreciate or recognise my efforts.
“It makes me regret playing for the Super Eagles. It makes me blame myself, and ask myself why I rejected Austria (officials), who were all over me then to play for their national team, which I turned down in preference to Nigeria.
“If I knew I would be treated this way, perhaps I would have been wiser. But then, that is the prize I had to pay for being patriotic, holding tight to my love for the green and white colours of Nigeria.
“Till today, Austria still shows me love, they still recognise me to the point that I now wonder how it would have been if I had taken up their nationality and represented them at the senior level”, Akwuegbu lamented.
Akwuegbu stressed that he was just being honest to his conscience, but basically not against the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation.
He applauded the NFF leadership for doing their best and obviously they cannot carry everyone along.
He added that despite the inability of the NFF to address all issues bothering on the round leather game, he is of the opinion that the field is large enough for them to increase the team (coaches) number.
“You have the Super Eagles, U-23, Flying Eagles, and U-17. You also have the women Super, Falconets and Flamingoes, you can appoint one ex-international to each of these teams, by so doing, nobody will complain. You have ex-Eagles stars like Taribo West and others who gave their all to Nigeria but not recognised now or engaged. It is not fair”, he suggested.
Akwuegbu was part of the Golden Eaglets side to the U-17 World Cup in Scotland in 1989, before stints with the Flying Eagles and the U-23 team.
He was also in the Eagles squad to the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations, and the 2000 Sydney Olympics Games in Australia, before making the squad to the Japan/Korea 2002 FIFA World Cup, playing the last group game against England.
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