Coach begs Cross River to honour pledge to 2013 Golden Eaglets

Coach Manu Garba led the Golden Eaglets to 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup victory in the UAE.

Former national cadet football team coach, Manu Garba, has begged Cross River state Governor, Bassey Otu and Sports Minister, John Owan Enoh, to intervene and help the team secure the house gifts pledged to players and officials of the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team by former governor, Liyel Imoke.

“Of course, we were all excited when Senator Liyel Imoke made the pronouncement at the Government House in Calabar when he hosted us for winning the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2013, but this is 2023 and 10 years after the pledge, we are yet to be given the houses as promised,” Garba said, adding that efforts made during the tenure of Imoke’s successor, Prof. Ben Ayade, bore no fruitful results either.
 
“The FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning team of 2013 was the baby of the Cross River State because we were camped at the Princeville Hotel in Calabar for many months, and we played all our qualifying matches there. Unfortunately, we are yet to be given these houses despite efforts to have the pledge redeemed during the tenure of Ayade.
 
“We are pleading with the new Governor, Bassey Otu, to use his good office to fulfill this pledge made on behalf of the state government by Senator Imoke, and I am also seeking the intervention of Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh, who coincidentally comes from Cross River State, to ensure that justice is done on our behalf.
 
“We have waited so long. This year, we lost the hard working equipment manager of the team, Muhammed Kafa, and it would be in his good memory and show that our labour of winning the World Cup in 2013, was not in vain if we get these houses,” stated Garba.

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