Abuja, Jan. 23, 2025 (NAN) Andrew Uwe, a former Nigeria National team player, now a coach has expressed gratitude for opportunities the nation offered him to excel in football as a youth player, but regretted that same country is offering less to current talented youths to excel.
The ex-Flying Eagles Captain during a chat with newsmen in Gombe heaped praises on Nigeria’s pass sports administrators for a good job by ensuring that a player like him from a poor background had opportunities to rise to captain Nigeria’s Flying Eagles and moved up to the senior national team the Super Eagles, adding that the opportunity he enjoyed in past is rare this time around.
“As a player from a poor background, I had bright opportunities, everything was provided both in the National Team and at Club level in Leventis where I once played, from dutiful referees, salaries, kits all were available to players in our days.
“Coaches were hired on merit, players picked or selected based on national interest and purely on professionalism, which is absent in our system today.”
The Delta State born player informed that he brought good news to talented Youth football players in Nigeria.
“I want to give back to society by sharing my experience, zeal and provide opportunities for them to excel the way I had it in the past.”
On why Andrew Uwe is in Gombe to scout for football talents alongside another German based coach Henry Ambrose, he said they came to assist young football players in Gombe by watching the ongoing Principal Cup competition and look out for talents to assist them to grow in their career.
“We are also here to change the narratives that Nigerian youth players can’t play abroad except they start from the national teams.
“Coach Ambrose and I will be here be in Gombe for four days trying to assist these players play professional football abroad with the understanding of the organiser of the Principal Cup competition Inter-secondary Schools Athletics Championships Hon. Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe who I have known for a long time”.
Coach Henry Ambrose, also an ex-football player corroborated Coach Uwe’s mission in Gombe, insisting that both of them share the same vision about Nigerian football and ways to bring back discipline in all sectors which he said is lacking in the current system.
NAN reports that both ex-internationals are UEFA and German licenced coaches and can coach any team, both senior and junior categories.
They were well received in Gombe as the crowd hailed their entry on Tuesday in the city of Savannah as they were escorted into the Pantami Stadium by the sponsor of Gombe inter secondary school Athletics and Principal Cup competition, Hon.Ahmed Shuaibu Gara Gombe and received by Dr Alex Mana, the managing director of the competition and other officials at the Stadium.(NAN)
