Ex-international, Etim John Esin, has again lamented the failure the Super Eagles to qualify for this year’s edition of the Orange/CAF Nations Cup scheduled to kick off this weekend.
Esin in a chat with The Eagle Online posited that Nigerians will be more pained when the competition eventually gets underway without their darling team.
“I am not happy that the African Nations Cup is on the way and we miss out. It is when the championship starts that we will feel the absence the Super Eagles most,” he said.
Speaking further, the former youth prodigy expressed regrets over the dwindling fortune of the round leather game in the country.
He said: “It is sad that we are passing through this period. Imagine no Nigerian player was nominated for the recent editions of the African footballer of the year award.
“In the past, we dominated the awards with the likes of Rashidi Yekini, Victor Ikpeba, Emmanuel Amunike and Kanu Nwankwo winning the award.”
Proffering solutions to Nigeria’s soccer woes, the former Super Eagles striker tasked the Nigeria Football Federation to go back to the grassroots to fish out talents.
He said: “We have product from the local League who can fit into the national team. Let’s go back to the basics and stop deceiving ourselves with over aged players. I like what Stephen Keshi is doing. He has lots of experience and I think that NFF should be patient with him.”
Aside Nigeria, Cameroon, South Africa and Egypt are other African soccer giants that will not be on parade at the 2012 Nations Cup jointly hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.