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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Former Imo State FA chairman, Amanze Uchegbulem has disclosed how his father almost shot him for playing football during his prime.
Uchegbulem who made the revelation while declaring his interest to run for the chairmanship seat of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in Owerri,the Imo State capital on Wednesday said his father, an ex soldier had always been against his playing football.
“For those who said I never played football,my father almost killed me because I went to play football in Alor,when I came back my mother told me that my father is very angry with me,he brought out his double barrel gun and my mother shouted run,he’s serious,I managed to scale a fence,that was how I got saved”. Uchegbulem narrated.
The 68 year old sports enthusiasts has vowed to turn Nigeria football around and return the country to its winning ways if elected.
He maintained that with his vast experience working under great sport giants such as Air Commodore Emeka Omeruo,Mumuni Aminu,Kojo Williams ,Dominic Oneya,Sunny Lulu among others, football will take its rightful place again in Nigeria.
Explaining how to achieve his aim,he promised to revive the country’s league and will return to the practise of catching footballers young at the age of 13 and 15.
And on using foreign coaches to train National teams, he said ” I don’t believe in foreign coaches,you bring them down ,they assemble your best from abroad few days to matches and earn their dollars,do you expect them to win in such situation. We have good coaches like Emmanuel Amuneke who can do better for us.
He is also against incessant debt owed footballers and match commissioners ,according to him, that contributes to “our problems.
” I’ve been long in the system our football is dying,we need to bring it back,revive the league and change the image, my administration will not owe any player and we assure of transparency ” Uchegbulem said.
