By Gracious Akujobi
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is planning to organize massive grassroots goalkeeping talent hunt, the Director of technical, Emmanuel Ikpeme, has said.
Ikpeme made this known to Prompt News Online at the closing ceremony of the six-day FIFA Member Association Goalkeeping course in Abuja.
“You will agree with me that Nigeria is lacking in the goal-keeping department. In spite of the talents, we have not gotten good goalkeepers for the national teams, we have been struggling” he said.
Ikpeme, however, noted that with the introduction of the goal-keeping talent hunt, the country would have a reservoir for goalkeepers who would be called-up at any time for national assignment.
“With this FIFA goal keeping programme, it is the intention of the football house at the appropriate time to send the participants of this course to grassroots, specifically to primary and secondary schools.
“This will be done to identify those kids that have the potentials to become goalkeepers and start grooming them at early stage.
“It is our conviction that at the end of the day, we should start that programme which will help us have a pool of goalkeepers in this country” he opined. Certificates were issued to 30 goal-keeping coaches who took part in the programme.
