There's no shortcut to success, Ikpeba tells Bandari players
Former Nigeria international Victor Ikpeba (right) speaks to Bandari players and officials at their Mbaraki Sports Club training base in Mombasa pn January 23, 2020. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA |
What you need to know:
- Ikpeba is in Mombasa for the Sports Personality of the Year Awards (Soya) gala which will be held Saturday evening.
- He is the chief celebrity guest.
Kenyan players need to be committed and disciplined to get more opportunities of playing professional football abroad.
This is the advice from former Africa Player of the Year Victor Ikpeba who believes there is abundant talent locally which only needs to be tapped and exported. But he is categorical that discipline is key to success.
Ikpeba is in Mombasa for the Sports Personality of the Year Awards (Soya) gala which will be held Saturday evening. He is the chief celebrity guest.
The former football star is unhappy that the Kenyan Premier League (KPL) is no longer being televised abroad following the withdrawal of SuperSport.
“I used to enjoy watching the Kenyan league on television which was a perfect opportunity for players to attract foreign scouts but that is no longer the case after SuperSport quit,” Ikpeba said.
He promised to watch the KPL match between Gor Mahia and Bandari at Afraha Stadium in Nakuru.
Ikpeba gave coaching tips to Bandari players at the KPA Mbaraki Sports Club on Thursday. He said that he would be in Nakuru to identify players with a view of helping them play professional football abroad.
He warned players against letting money get into their heads when they sign big deals.
On the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying draw, the former Monaco star said he was very happy with the pooling, and expects Nigeria to qualify.
“Cape Verde, Central Africa Republic and Liberia will not give Nigeria any problem if the team’s current form is anything to go by. I think we were lucky with that draw and should easily finish on top of the group," he said.
The 46-year-old, capped 31 times for Nigeria, scored seven goals for the Super Eagles. He played at the Fifa World Cups in 1994 and 1998 and helped to win the 1994 African Cup of Nations and the 1996 Olympic gold.
