Akpokona opens up

According to him, he is not writing off the chances of any team because football is a funny game believing that what the teams need is good preparation and little bit of luck to scale through the hurdle that seem impossible.

Speaking to nigeriasports.com after the week 10 premier league match where his lads beat Shuaibu Amodu-led Sharks FC of Port-Harcourt 1-0 at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu,the coach who assured that his team, Rangers International has the ability to scale the hurdle as they expect a very hard game, also spoke on other matters as it affects football in Nigeria.

He also talked about the week eleven Globacom Premier League encounter involving his club and the current league leaders, Enyimba International FC which will be played in Aba next Wednesday,27th April, 2005.

Excerpts:

On the match against Union Douala:
Our preparation for that match is still on and we are working very hard and preparing very very well. We are expecting a very hard game.The Union Douala team were very very rough when they came here. They were brutal to put it mildly and I expect them to come out the same way. So, we are preparing very well for that match.

Well, I've heard the coach of Union Douala say all sorth of things after the game here but like I have always said, football is not played with the mouth. The name of the game is football and not mouth game. We will go there and see what they will do and see how many goals they are boasting they can score.Our chances are as bright as any other team in the competition. I think we have the ability to scale through this hurdle no matter what they will do.

If you remember what happened last year but last year is gone. Our intention this season is to  better our performance and to do better than we did last season. And if you know how far we got in the competition then you will know what I am talking about. We don't intend to fall aside now. We intend to go all the way.

The welfare problem threatning the stability of the club:
The issue of welfare as regards the problem it generated is being handled and I am very sure, within the next 24 hours the problem will be solved. We had a meeting last week and I know that things are going to the very high level as far as that area is concerned. So, it is being tackled.

Some key players who are sick and not fit:
We have a few boys who are down. But the medical team are giving us hopefull answers concerning their state of health. I just pray they recover so that we can go there in full scale. But we hope that before the weekend they will all be ready.

On other Nigerian clubs in the continental war this weekend:
As usual,I wish them everything I wish myself. I wish them all the best, I wish them all the luck and I am not writing off the chances of anybody because football is a very funny game. I think all the four teams can qaulify with good preparation and with a little bit of luck.

The league:
Every team in the competition is contesting. It is a competition. At the end of the year there will be one winner. We are twenty teams, so, we are all fighting for it. We are in contention right now but it is too early to say who is going to win. But we are in to win. We are realy competing to win.

Week 11 encounter between Rangers and Enyimba:
Well Enyimba is a good team, there is no doubt about that.We are going to Aba to play football and if we can win why not we will win. For the fact that Enyimba FC have not lost a match up to week 10 does not mean they cannot lose s match. One day they will definetly lose, they are going to lose and who knows it could start with Rangers at Aba, it is not impossible.

On football management in Nigeria:
Well, football management or administration has always been our problem in this country. FIFA have sounded that several times. All over the world everybody knows that. The footballers in Nigeria have grown to a very high level to such a stage that they are recognised all over the world. The coaches are not doing badly. Nigerian coaches are all over the place.

Even our referees, as we condem them here, we still have some with very high repute. The area of draw back in our football is in the area of adminisration. They seem always to work at cross purposes. They are filled with different different shades of opinion at the top and it is not good for our football. But there seem to be a wind of change blowing. What is happening now for me is good because we have to sort ourselves out.If what is happening between NFA and NFL,NPFL or whatever it is called is happening for us to find our direction, then it is good. I think at the end of the day we will come out with something very positive
 for this country.

On Nigeria and world cup preparation:
Talking about preparation, I don't know about preparation. But I do know that we have the qaulity, we have the ability, we have the capacity to go, we have the wherewithal, we have everything. Like I have always said, the only drawback again is administrative. When players don't report to camp, when there is no money etc, all these are adminisrative problems and once you can sort this out. It is not going to be easy, for example for the game against Rwanda.

Rwand is an emerging force in African football. Playing against them at home is not going to be easy at all. They are on a very high ultitude, if you've been there before. We were there last year and I knew what the players went through.  Then for Players who are coming from England and other parts of Europe to play in a place like that, it is not going to be funny at all for them.

And apart from that even our next home match here against Angola which has been shifted to Kano, eh... I don't want to criticise or anything but I think Kano will be too hot for some of the players who will come. I think a state in the south would have been better. I know the intention is good wanting to move the Super Eagles around but I still think that the weather in Kano is going to have negative effect on the team. Having said all that, if only we can get ourselves together administratively, I think we are as good as Germany.

On the chances of African teams at the Germany 2006:
It all depends on on preparation. The world cup is not any other competition. That is the biggest stage in football in the world. But if you watch the Senegalese team of the last world cup they prepared very well. They had a lot of things going for them.

They didn't have the problem of getting players together because most of the players were based in France. It was easy for players themselves to come together and train. They played many matches I think more than any other country. They prepared longer any other African country, then the result was what you saw in Japan/Korea 2002 World Cup.

So that is our own problem, if we can get our boys together on time.Because we are not lacking in terms of materials.We have the players we have everything but our problem has always been our preparation. We wait till you know, argue over irrelevances untill the very last minute then we start running about. If we can start our preparation on time and get this boys together, I am very sure we will even do better than what Senegal did.

Then apart from that, think the African countries are coming stronger. We have Cote D'Ivoure which are likely to qualify from their group. They are going to prove a hard nut to other countries. I see African country at least getting to the qauter finals or even beyond.

On the foreign coach issue:
I heard sombody said last week, that in the whole of qaulifiers around the world, Nigeria is the only team that is toping its group and is still looking for a new coach. That it has not been seen anywhere. Like I have always said, this issue is over flogged. People have been for and against it. Initially, I was against it but you see the people concerned are bent on getting a foreign coach. So, is like no matter what anybody is saying, no matter discussions or debate their minds are made up.

As far as they are concerned Nigerian coaches are not capable, not good enough to take the team to the world cup. So, fine, maybe they have resources to hire a foreign coach, let them go ahead and get a foreign coach.

But for Christ sake, they should get a good one and not anybody from overseas in the name of a coach. They should go for a high qaulity coach since their minds are made up. It is a waste of time debating on it.

Thanks coach ;
It is my pleasure.

Interview by Chigozie Chukwuleta