The former coach of Nigeria’s Under-20 team, John Sam Obuh, is convinced the barrage of criticism directed at him and his side after the Flying Eagles’ dismal performance at the just concluded FIFA World Cup is not justifiable.
The Flying Eagles were eliminated in the round of 16 by Uruguay in an encounter which they lost by 2-1 and have since then returned home to meet harsh criticism from soccer-loving Nigerians.
Obuh insisted that his team has not failed the nation. “Anybody that says I failed does not understand the game. I do not think the team did badly at all because most of the sides we played against had players who were very established,” Obuh disclosed to supersport.com.
The former Sharks of Port Harcourt coach also decried the loss of Abdullahi Shehu on the brink of half-time in their last game against Uruguay which he felt didn’t present the nation with a winning opportunity.
“We suffered a lot in that loss to Uruaguay,” Obuh added.
“We played more than half of that game with only 10 men against a side with players who are professionals at top clubs.
“We must be commended and not criticized.”
Obuh, who led the team to the quarter-final in Colombia, concluded by saying his decision to resign after the tournament was conceived out of his intuition that it’s high time he left and let others try out their hands, not because he considered himself as a failure.
“I did not resign because I failed; far from it. I did that because I considered many things and decided it was for the best.
“The under-20 job is not my birthright so I feel it is also time to step aside for someone else to see what he can do for Nigerian football at that level.
“I am proud of my achievements in the team,” he said.
