ACTUALITE |
09.03.2003
Youngster`s lure Okocha back
Nigeria star Jay-Jay Okocha has told the BBC that he decided not to quit the Super Eagles after being asked to stay on by the country`s youth side, the Flying Eagles.
Okocha, who captained the Super Eagles in the 2002 World Cup after Sunday Oliseh was left out of the squad, quit international football following Nigeria`s poor showing that saw them finish bottom of their group.
He said he had been frustrated by an apparent stagnation in the Super Eagles team.
"Even before the World Cup I was thinking we had not been progressing," Okocha told BBC Sport.
"I was not in a position to change things anymore.
"I felt really bad and I made my decision, I said I have to quit."
But he said that when the future football stars asked him to change his mind, he was happy to reconsider.
"After the World Cup when I went back home, they spoke to me and told me to hang in there, at least for their own sake," Okocha revealed.
"That touched me a lot, so I said I would keep fighting and see if I can change some thing things for the young ones that are coming up."
However, he added that his change of mind did not guarantee he would figure in Nigeria`s next game, a 2004 Nations Cup qualifying match against Malawi .
"I can`t say for now because my club are struggling against going down to Division One, so that might depend on our position," Okocha said.
"It`s always going to be difficult, because any team playing against Nigeria always plays as if it is the game of their lives."
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Hits: 1 | Source:BBC | |
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