A Battle Like No Other!

I am confident, like other Members of the NFF Executive Committee and Management, all stakeholders and the players and technical crew as the day finally comes to show Liberia that we are not in the same class. It is said that misfortune comes a lot of other mishaps. Our failure to qualify for the 2012 […]

I am confident, like other Members of the NFF Executive Committee and Management, all stakeholders and the players and technical crew as the day finally comes to show Liberia that we are not in the same class.

It is said that misfortune comes a lot of other mishaps. Our failure to qualify for the 2012 Cup of Nations, held in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, by reason of a drawn game in Abuja against Guinea, has now emboldened a string of less endowed football-playing nations to nurse ambition when playing against Nigeria.

Only three days after that failure to qualify for the 2012 Cup of Nations, the Super Eagles were in London to play a friendly match against the Black Stars of Ghana. of course, the Black Stars had qualified for the finals and naturally expected to run over the Super Eagles, what with their 4-1 defeat of the Eagles in a similar friendly in London in February 2007 and with expected low morale from the Nations Cup failure.

However, the Super Eagles did not lie down at Watford and played a good game, which ended 0-0.

After that, came friendlies at home to Botswana and Zambia (which had qualified for the Cup of Nations) in Benin City and Kaduna respectively. The Botswanans held firm for a 0-0 but the Eagles defeated Zambia (which would go ahead to win the African Nations Cup) 2-0 in Kaduna.

That was after the change of Head Coach. Since the coming of Stephen Keshi, we have all been involved in the rebuilding process one way or the other. And the former Captain has done well to scour the entire country looking for good and teachable players, who have shown immense promise and potential and continue to improve with exposure and mentoring.

While there are those who have their fears about the long time that the rebuilding process is taking, it is important to reiterate here that Keshi has the support of the Nigeria Football Federation and we believe he will only lead us to greater heights.

However, that journey has to begin today and the simple message is that nothing less than outright victory will suffice against the Lone Star at the U. J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar.

While in truth, football is not mathematics and no two games are the same, the fact remains that Liberia has never beaten Nigeria in Nigeria and it will not start now. Not with the kind of team that Coach Keshi has assembled for this assignment.

I was able to watch one of the team’s training sessions and I believe that the goals will rain in the Liberian net and keep raining until the end of 90 minutes. South African 2013, here we come.

My special appeal to the people of Cross River State and environs who will throng the U. J. Esuene Stadium is to come decked in their white-and-green attires to give the arena a special ‘Nigerian look’.

It is the same thing that happens in several other nations, plus the fact that spectators in those countries cheer their team for the entire period of the match no matter the turn of events.

My simple charge for the fans is to support the Super Eagles from the first blast of the referee’s whistle to the last, keeping the faith and showing a good example for some other cities that may also be called upon to host any of the National Teams in the future.

I remember when we went to Ethiopia for a 2012 Cup of Nations qualifier: the fans kept rooting for their team all through and they were all decked in the country’s red colours, intimidating atmosphere enough for any opposition.

The same thing happened when we went to Malawi for a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying match. The whole stadium, old and dilapidated as the structure was, erupted in chants for the home team every second of the 90-minute encounter.

I have never doubted the ability of our people to support the National Team for the duration of a match. One thing I can be sure about is that they will once again prove their capacity today.

Coach Stephen Keshi and boys know what is at stake and the team has been in Calabar since Monday feeling the atmosphere and the turf where they will take the Lone Star to the cleaners.

Hard work, drive and tenacity will matter a lot in today’s game, no matter the pattern that the coaches adopt. The players must be ready to give their all and push for victory for the entire match.

And Golden Eaglets Too…

I have heard so many wonderful tales about the new Golden Eaglets and the opportunity comes for me to cheer the team against Guinea at the U. J. Esuene Stadium tomorrow.

Coach Manu Garba and his assistants have been doing marvelously since they organized a credible screening programme in Abuja where they looked at over 3,000 players, did a second phase in Calabar and then came up with their list of 40 players.

Eventually, the 40 players were subjected to the MRI examination and they passed, meaning that the coaches knew their onions and never set out to cheat.

The results have been coming on quickly, with the team having scored 73 goals in 16 matches as at Tuesday, including slamming their Rwanda counterparts 5-0 and 3-0 in freindlies before humiliating Niger Republic 10-1 in the first round of 2013 African U-17 qualifying series.

Tomorrow, they just have to consolidate by earning a handsome win over the Guineans, in order to make the second leg in Conakry a formality.

Delta Football House…

I am excited as I write this piece, thinking about the foundation-laying ceremony for the Delta Football House, which took place in Asaba on Thursday.

A delight it was to be the one to lay the stone for the foundation and witness such a historic move by one of the leading sports-loving States in the country.

As I said at the foundation-laying ceremony, the move will ginger other States into doing projects and programmes that will have great impact for Nigeria football development.

Kudos to Amaju Pinnick and his Executive Committee.

NEXT WEEK: Expectations for Q4