Siasia admits Mother’s kidnap unsettled him, vows to get Dream Team VI stronger for Rio 2016

The Chief Coach of Dream Team VI, Samson Siasia has vowed to mould a very strong team that would be a pride to Africa and Nigeria when the Olympic Football Tournament kicks off next summer.

Now that we have qualified for the Olympics we need to go all out to solidify this team. The boys have done so well so most of them will be retained while we will bring in quality players that can add strength to this team. This time around we are facing the world and we should be ready to face the world. This time around the biggest target should be winning the gold medal”, Siasia confessed to SportingLife.

Siasia, as blunt as ever, also revealed that there were lots of hiccups and predicaments that made winning the competition very difficult. He, however, showered encomiums on his players for  weathering the storm to emerge African Champion.

“Honestly the preparations weren’t the best but we focused on qualifying at least for the Olympics. We had only 12 days in Gambia which other countries that also participated had two months and more for preparing for the same tournament. We had other issues too but I was looking at second place or worst scenario the third place to get to Brazil so that we can have a strong team before the start of the Olympics in Rio. But thank God for these boys, for their perseverance and hard work which eventually paid off.

“Winning the Africa U- 23 Cup of Nations trophy makes me feel very good. I am relieved not just qualifying for next year’s Olympics in Rio, Brazil but winning the trophy at stake too. It is like putting the icing on a cake. So I am happy that we had a lot of prayers, text messages from Nigerians who actually prayed for us to win

“We did not worry about the problems we faced during the competition but we played like Champions and we eventually emerged Champions. This was due to hard work on our part and most importantly the prayers of soccer loving Nigerians who supported us all the way and God actually listened to their prayers. So I am very proud of my players and our fans too.

“As regards the kidnap issue of my mother, sincerely speaking it took a lot out of me. I knew there was nothing I could do in Bayelsa while I was in Senegal. I just tried to think about something else that can inspire me to do well with the team that I have. I was looking at trying to qualify the team for the Olympics and not worried about the kidnap of my mother. As at that time there was nothing I could do about it. I was just calling home and trying to know how we can get her out.

“Finally it paid off because we qualified for the Olympics and actually won the Cup and my mother was also released. So it was three in one victory. I just thank God for what he has done for me and the team. The prayers of Nigerians and the hard work on the part of the boys eventually paid off”, Siasia told SportingLife.