Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Peter Rufai, on Wednesday rose to the defence of the current crop of national team goalkeepers, saying they need more playing time to gain experience.
Rufai made the submission in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos while assessing the performance of the Nigerian goalkeepers in readiness for the World Cup.
The veteran goalkeeper said goalkeeping, unlike other departments in football, need more playing time and could not be assessed or judged by a single match.
“There is no problem as far as I am concerned with the goalkeeping department of the Super Eagles. What they need right now is support and more exposure.
“Goalkeepers get better with time and matches and if one is not performing well such can be replaced with a better option. We are blessed with abundance of good goalkeepers in Nigeria.
“If someone is driving a four-wheel vehicle and one wheel is not good enough, then you change the one that is bad and not discarding all the wheels that is the same situation with goalkeepers.
“The goalkeepers we still have can serve us better, so, we need not panic about the goalkeepers. As I have said the goalkeepers need exposure and playing time to get better,” he told NAN.
Rufai, a member of the 1994 AFCON winning team, said that the technical crew should search for good goalkeepers among the existing ones and also give them time to express themselves.
