Former Super Eagles winger Segun Odegbami has cautioned the Nigeria Football Federation against allowing distractions to affect the Super Eagles’ focus ahead of their clash with the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Abidjan on Sunday.
Odegbami, a member of the 1980 AFCON-winning Super Eagles team, emphasized the importance of creating a protective environment around the team to ensure they remain focused.
Drawing from an illustrative tale of a triathlon athlete who stumbled just before the finish line, Odegbami conveyed the message that victory is not guaranteed until the final moment.
He stressed, “There is this interesting story of one triathlon athlete who led the field for most of the competition, was far ahead of every other competitor and looked sure to win. But she fell down close to the tape, and before she could summon the energy to crawl towards the tape, she saw someone go past her to claim victory. The lesson of the story is that it is never over until it is over
“The NFF should not allow any kind of distractions around the team in the next couple of days before the match. Let us allow the boys to concentrate and focus hard on the task at hand. No frivolous visits to the team camp should be allowed,” he furthered.
