Following the departure of some of his players to top-flight clubs across the country, coach of ASJ Football Academy in Imo state has reiterated his desire to remain a breeding ground for young talents who will then graduate to professional clubs.
Speaking after his academy lost to Nigeria Professional Football League side, Heartland FC recently, the grassroots coach stressed that results of friendly games are not his priorities, rather exposing his players to a bigger club.
“We have played against several top clubs in the East and we recently played against Heartland which we lost. But I am happy because my team gave a good account of themselves,” Akuta told Dasportstainment247.com. “Our objective is to showcase the player we have and I am delighted most of the clubs now know that we have the quality. After the game with Heartland, I saw the coach, Fidelis Ilechukwu talking to some of my boys who played well and I think he finds them interesting. All we want is for the boys to be exposed and get the opportunity to further their careers.”
ASJ Football Academy has produced players who have excelled and gone ahead to represent the country in various national teams. The likes of Chidiebere Nwakali, Kelechi Nwakali, Chukwudi Agor and Samuel Nnoshiri are part of their testimonies.
“We have always been pushing our players to get the best. Some have had chances to play in clubs in and outside the country and also play for the national team. We had one of our players who got very close to making the U17 this year, but we are still keeping him for greater opportunities,” Akuta added.
