Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 1064 Wed. May 30, 2007  
   
Sports


Vogts slams Nigerian football


Nigerian coach Berti Vogts on Tuesday slammed the country's football board for the national team's poor training ahead of this weekend's 2008 African Nations Cup Group 3 qualifier in Uganda.

He said the Nigerian Football Association's poor leadership was to blame for the failure of some European-based professionals to join the team's training camp in Kenya.

"I am not happy that we have only one training session," said Vogts in reference to Nigeria's 1-0 win over Kenya in their only build-up match on Sunday.

"The boys have been idle for the past three weeks since they finished playing for their respective clubs."

The former German and Scotland coach is upset with the continued absence of Newcastle United star striker Obafemi Martins despite having been released by the English Premiership club at the end of the season.

"Martins says he has a thigh injury and has had to seek treatment in Rome. I don't know the extent of his injury but I have enough strikers to field in Uganda," said Vogts.