Remo Stars’ coach, Daniel Ogunmodede, has acknowledged that the postponement of the 2024 African Nations Championship has had a psychological impact on the Super Eagles B squad, forcing them to cut short their training camp on Tuesday.
Originally scheduled to take place in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda from February 1 to 28, the Confederation of African Football postponed the competition to August, though the draws for the tournament were held on Wednesday.
Ogunmodede, along with Rangers International’s Fidelis Ilechukwu, has been in charge of the team during the qualifiers.
However, new national team coach Eric Chelle was introduced to the squad’s camp on Tuesday to oversee the team’s preparations.
Chelle’s appointment by the Nigeria Football Federation came as Ogunmodede and the rest of the coaching staff had focused on the competition, which was interrupted after two weeks of intensive camp.
Reflecting on the situation, Ogunmodede expressed his disappointment, saying, “We felt disappointed and it was evident in the reaction of the match we played on Wednesday. Everyone was not happy considering the amount of work we had put in. Imagine during the festive period, we couldn’t even go and be with our families.”
However, the coach remained resolute, emphasizing that the team had to stay focused despite the setback, “Nevertheless, we keep our focus. We can’t control the postponement, it is not our fault.”
The Super Eagles B have been drawn into a challenging Group D for the August tournament, where they will face defending champions Senegal, Sudan, and the Republic of Congo.
Looking ahead, Ogunmodede made it clear that there would be no guarantees for players to make the final cut for the tournament.
“Our major job is to continue to prepare ourselves like I told the players, they have to stay consistent and keep the same ideology because coming back here is not automatic,” he stated.
