Poor preparation led to Sand Eagles’ elimination from Africa Cup of Nations qualifying – Okemmiri

In an interview with Brila.net, Okemmiri attributed the failure to inadequate preparation after a five-year break from the sport.

Okemmiri spoke about the importance of constant training and team cohesion, urging the NFF to ensure that players remain active and together in anticipation of upcoming competitions.

“My advice to them is to give them proper preparation and time so that they are well prepared. Coaches have to work very hard to organise the players because beach soccer is not a normal football. It requires strength, experience and composure,” he said.

He criticised the recent approach of bringing together players from various leagues just a week before the qualifiers, arguing that it was insufficient and called for increased efforts by the NFF.

“It is simply a matter of selecting players from all the leagues and bringing them together in one week. Even that week is not enough. The national team needs at least three weeks to a month to prepare properly,” he added.

“The NFF also has to step up because it is only a week’s preparation to play a qualifying match after so many years. So it is not going to be easy,” concluded Okemmiri.