The head coach of Nigeria Customs Volleyball (NCS) team, FEMI AKANNI has said that his team is gradually preparing for national championship.
The Federal Government through the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 announced that sports are to resume without fans in the stadiums on 3rd September, 2020.
AKANNI said, “I have no doubt that my players will play to their maximum abilities when national tournaments begins. Like I said, everyone is preparing gradually individually and we have a few of them who are serving in the same Command which creates an enabling ground for them train together, all we need is just the go ahead from the office to come together as a team. If that is achieved then ‘we are good to go’.
He urged the League Management Committee of the Volleyball League to kick start the league since the lockdown is lifted.
He said, “If the lockdown is lifted totally on sports we have nothing to keep us waiting because as it is the country is behind its sports calendar but since it is a global issue there’s really nothing to worry about.
“Staying without active volleyball for six months is not easy but for the sake of our health we had no option than to adhere strictly to the safety procedures as laid down by NCDC.
“The team is waiting for the directives from our employers on when to kick start our training activities. As a team, we are all doing our bits individually”.
On losing the 2019 women’s national title to NSCDC, AKANNI said, “Without telling you I am sure you know how it feels for one to lose at the finals of a competition that happens to be our most Prestigious one at the moment as far as Nigeria is concern.
“Nevertheless, it is one of those things in any race of life and I am sure the team that won that season was never expecting it because my team would have won if not for the unfortunate incident (injury) of one of the key players at a crucial time towards the end of the fourth set”, he ended.
