Veteran goalkeeper in the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL), Theophilus Afelokhai has charged players in the home-based national team to use the ongoing Championship of African Nations (CHAN 2024) as an opportunity to sell themselves to European clubs, Sports247 reports.
The 37-year-old shot-stopper, who has featured in goal for Kano Pillars, Enyimba of Aba and Rivers United of Port Harcourt, admitted that he was disappointed with how the CHAN Eagles lost their first match against Senegal, but insists they will still qualify from their group.
He enthused that the team being handled by Super Eagles’ technical adviser, Eric Chelle will defeat Sudan on Tuesday in their second group match and keep hope alive for a ticket into the knock-out stage of the ongoing championship.
Afelokhai went on to urge Nigerian fans to keep faith in the squad, as he believes the players will rise to the occasion and pull the chestnut out of the fire by winning their remaining group matches – versus Sudan and Congo.
The smooth-talking keeper declared, “They should not lose hope in Super Eagles B. They still have two games to play before the knock-out round.
“Believe me, and take my word for it, they will win the second game that they will play. They will come out victorious.”
He, however, admitted that the task is up to the CHAN Eagles’ players to pull it off by themselves, as they are the ones who will play the game, not their fans who keep faith in them to make Nigeria and themselves proud.
Afelokhai added, “It’s now left for the players to sell themselves. This is an opportunity for them to do the right thing.
“They need to add their talent to improve their CV and sell themselves. That’s why I believe we should not lose hope in them.”
He concluded with a verdict that the renowned never-say-die Nigerian spirit will propel the CHAN Eagles to victory on Tuesday, as he believes they are not different from the main national team, Super Eagles.
Afelokhai opined, “Super Eagles is Super Eagles, and they are leaders in Africa. That’s why I believe Nigeria will qualify.
“We should not start looking at who’s a good player or who’s not a good player, and all of that. We should just have hope in them. That’s the truth.”
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