By Izuchukwu Okosi:
The Flying Eagles side that represented Nigeria at the 1983 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Mexico believe they deserve to be honoured by President Mohammadu Buhari for being the first Nigerian team to participate at any major FIFA World Cup competition, Completesportsnigeria.com reports.
President Buhari
is expected to reward both the 1985 and 2015 Golden Eaglets teams that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in China and Chile on November 29th.
Now, with the Eaglets set for a presidential reward from Buhari by the end of November, some of the prominent players in the 1983 Flying Eagles team are hoping to be appreciated by the incumbent president.
"The Flying Eagles squad of 1983 was the first Nigerian team to qualify for any FIFA-organised competition," one of the members of that squad, Tajudeen Disu, told Completesportsnigeria.com.
"I was part of the team in 83. The team was promised scholarships, houses, streets named after us and land. Most of the players opted for scholarships because most of the players were in secondary schools.
"But unfortunately President Shehu Shagari was overthrown by the Buhari military government.
"Paul Okoku, based in the USA, is our spokesman. He was in Nigeria last year for this cause. We took up the issue with
then National Sports Commission Director General, Gbenga Elegbeleye, during the Goodluck Jonathan administration. He tried to help achieve it but nothing was resolved.
"Government is a continual thing. We are appealing to the Buhari government to look into it."
The Flying Eagles team in 1983 did not go far in the competition.
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