Christian Chukwu
The first Nigerian captain to lift the African Cup of Nations Cup also talks on Nigeria’s chances of securing the lone ticket in group B of the World Cup qualifier, as they face Cameroon, Zambia and Algeria, amongst other issues.
How do you feel about your team Rangers FC being crowned Nigeria league Champions? I feel very excited just like many others. The journey was not easy and we never knew we would get to this stage. This win is a true reflection of hard work of the technical crew led by coach Imama. The management gave him the full support and the governor gave everybody the support, including the boys. At what point did you think Rangers can end the 32-year wait for a title when the season started? I started believing in this team from the beginning of the season, I knew we were going to go continental but I didn’t believe we would win the league. When the second round came and we started getting some away wins, at that point I knew the league will be ours. What does this trophy mean for the club and fans? Enugu has finally comes agog with this trophy and the fans are set to watch continental football after a long while. Now that Rangers are champions, the problem is now longer how to get to the top but how to retain the top spot. We will work very hard to ensure we don’t disappoint Nigeria at the continent as we intend to fortify the team to keep doing well.
Which of the Enugu players caught your attention this season and you feel should be given a call-up to the national team? You know I was a player and a captain, I believe every victory is team work. I won’t point out one person because I believe the players played as a team. So for me, all the Rangers players are stars. What your assessment of the NPFL 2015/2016 season? It was a good season but it requires improvement. However, this season was better than last season. Do you think the quality of football played in the league has affected Nigeria as we have failed to qualify for two consecutive AFCON competitions? No I don’t think so because we neglected our home based players, you can see that our national team is foreign based and it has never happened anywhere in the world. We have a lot of talents back home and I am not saying we shouldn’t have foreign based players in the team but home based players have to be recognized. Imagine out of the 23-man list for Nigeria clash against Zambia, we have just three home based players. Those days, we could have made like 15-16 foreign based players while the rest will be local based. Look at Zambia we are playing, the team is made up of mostly home based players. So it’s time we start giving the home based players the support they need. What are Nigeria’s chances of securing the World cup ticket in a group that has Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia? I know other countries in the group are afraid of Nigeria but Nigeria also should be scared of them. The group is a tough one but football isn’t played by name. Football is played in the pitch and I am hoping and praying Nigeria can get the ticket. The coach needs our supports and prayers, but I can only predict if we would qualify for the World Cup after our game against Zambia.
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