Former Green Eagles’ captain, Henry Nwosu (MON) is heading back into the scheme of things in youth football across the country, as the one-time head coach of the nation’s under-17 national team, Golden Eaglets, is heading to Jos, Plateau State for a talent hunt venture.
Megasportsarena.com gathered that Nwosu, whose biggest outing for the Nigerian national team came at Maroc ’88 Africa Cup of Nations, is expected in the Plateau State capital on Tuesday, to take charge of a screening programme for young, talented and budding footballers.
Nwosu’s screening expedition in The Tin City will also serve as the foundation for the emergent Africa Athletes Academy soccer programmes, with teeming youngsters expected to converge on the football pitch of Saint John’s College, Jos this Tuesday and Wednesday.
A report ahead of the event stated in part: “Talented young lads will be picked at the end of the screening exercise and thereafter be put in a compulsory boarding programme at Saint John’s College in Jos.
“The compulsory boarding programme is expected to be for boys at Under-13, Under-15 and Under-17 levels while those between the ages of 18 and 20 will be expected to partake in non-boarding sessions.
“The owners of Africa Athletes Academy simply want to reshape the standard of football within Nigeria and aid young lads to attain their dreams locally and internationally as the body already operates within best International standards for academies.”
Nwosu previously posited during a similar event he coordinated some months back that opined that one of the greatest challenges facing our football today is that players no longer go through the rudiments of the game and therefore lacked good ball control.
While lamenting that many youth in football nowadays do not know when to pass the ball and when to dribble, while also lacking good ball control and positioning, Nwosu added that he would want to be remembered as someone that discovered a lot of young talents for Nigeria.
He went on to reveal his plans for the future of the round leather game, but admitted that he actually stopped first son of choosing football for a career, rather he made education a priority for him, which he says makes him happy that his first son is a masters degree holder.
Nwosu concluded: “If the younger ones want to play football they could go ahead, but as for my first son I charged him to concentrate on his education. The other younger ones I taught them the rudiments of the game without them losing focus on their education.”
