…I Came Into Football From The Police, Coach Adisa Says
Ex Super Eagles goal keeper coach, Amusa Adisa, has rued the absence of quality goalkeepers in the senior national team’s 25 man lined up as released by Coach Jose Paseiro, the team’s technical adviser, ahead the AFCON fiesta, saying that the position leaves the team vulnerable.
Coach Adisa made this disclosure during a lecture in Ilorin, hosted by Sparkling Sparks FC at the Henry George Hotels.
The former football player and coach went down memory lane to surprise his audience that he was once a police officer.
Speaking on keeper deficiency in the Super Eagles, Adisa said that the department in any teams line up is an all important facet of the game.
“The goalkeeping is our weakest link at this period and I challenge our coaches to look at the home league and be impartial about their selection”.
“when the goalkeeper is dependable, the outfield players will be confident to showcase what they have been taught by the coaches.
“In fact they will even take initiatives that will mark them out and make the difference against their opponents,” Adisa said.
Adisa trained Vincent Enyeama, arguably Africa’s best goalkeeper of all time at the national team. Enyeama was sourced from Enyimba, Nigeria’s most successful club.
The coach however said another Enyeama can only be discovered if national team scouts are impartial. “This was how I was discovered while still a policeman,” he said.
“I was drafted into WNDC in 1964 from Osogbo F.A team, by Chief Lekan Are, during the Western Region Challenge Cup match against the dreaded Ibadan F. A. selected, because I saved three penalties in a match .
“At that period, I was serving in the Native Authority Police in Osun constabulary. And when I got to Ibadan the competition was stiff because the goalkeeper of the national team, Olu Onagoruwa, who was recruited from Port Harcourt and was still active.
” It was from that moment that I took over to win the 1965, 1969 and 1971 with Ibadan Lions. And I had the opportunity to be in goal for the Green Eagles of Nigeria,” the coach said.
