Rufai hinges goalkeeping crisis on poor grooming, succession plan

Uzoho

Super Eagles former captain and goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, has blamed the country’s current goalkeeping problems on the inability of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and other stakeholders in the nation’s football to create a succession system for national team shot-stoppers.

Reminiscing on his days in the national team, Rufai said that it was unusual for a goalkeeper to get Super Eagles’ number one shirt without going through the ranks, being with and understudying the leading top goalkeepers.

He said the country has suffered in the goalkeeping department because the role is no longer competitive as it is now open to all manner of journeymen.

“It is embarrassing that at this period of Nigeria’s football history, we are having goalkeeping issues in the Super Eagles. A country that has abundant talents and had also produced celebrated talents in the past, is now being ridiculed for mediocrity.

“It shows that we have failed in creating a transition programme that will produce ready replacements for retiring goalkeepers, as we did in the past.

“During my days, before I emerged the Eagles number one goalkeeper, I was made to study and watch top goalkeepers in the Eagles like Okala, Best Ogedegbe and others. I watched the way they handled their defence, the mental competition among the goalkeepers to still remain the top best.

“It was a big competition to get the Eagles number one shirt at that time. After getting to understudy the goalkeepers ahead of me, when I eventually got the number one position, I maintained the standard they laid for the position. This was how the celebrated national team goalkeepers emerged. This system doesn’t exist anymore in the Super Eagles,” he said.

Rufai said goalkeepers would definitely