Another Trophy Beckons For Nigeria

At the end of last Saturday’s international friendly against their Ethiopian counterparts, the Eagles won 2-1 but I could hear clearly talk of unease among dignitaries and football fans alike.There were definitely those who would have wanted the Head Coach to invite new players altogether and discard a number of the guys in there right […]

At the end of last Saturday’s international friendly against their Ethiopian counterparts, the Eagles won 2-1 but I could hear clearly talk of unease among dignitaries and football fans alike.
There were definitely those who would have wanted the Head Coach to invite new players altogether and discard a number of the guys in there right now, but performance in one friendly match should not be used to judge the entire team.
Personally, I have confidence that the squad that Coach Keshi and his assistants have put together will do Nigeria proud, based on their own awareness of the country’s pedigree in the game, which will make them fight for every ball and put in extra ounce of energy each time, as well as the players’ own motivation – expectation of Presidential goodies once they bring home the trophy.
They would certainly look back and remember the day the Super Eagles A team came back from South Africa, having won the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 19 years.
Not only was the team ferried in a very comfortable chartered aircraft, they arrived to the cheers and adulation of Nigerians from all walks of life, who took over the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja and lined the streets all the way from the airport to the Presidential Villa.
They will also remember that His Excellency, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR announced so many goodies for the team, including cash, and afterwards other State Governments took over and ‘spoilt’ the players and officials.
You cannot have a better motivation to perform wonders, moreso with the added incentive that a good outing would most certainly earn a player a good contract overseas, much better than he would have gotten if he went on ‘trials’.
While I can confirm that the Nigeria Football Federation and Coach Keshi have forgotten the issue of some ‘key’ players who left at the eleventh hour, making things difficult for the Coach, it would surely have made more sense for those players to showcase their artistry at the Africa Nations Championship, South Africa 2014.
The good work that Coach Keshi and his assistants have been doing with the A and B teams is there for all to us, and it is on this premise that we all look forward to a brilliant outing for the Super Eagles Team B in South Africa.
Right from tonight’s Group A clash with their Malian counterparts, the Eagles are expected to signify their ambition to return home with the trophy to underscore the fertile ground that South Africa has turned into for Nigeria National Teams.
From winning the African Women Championship in November 2010, Nigeria has picked up the African Youth Championship, Africa Cup of Nations and the Mandela Challenge Cup (the last one before the world statesman of note departed this world).
It is also remarkable that having missed the first two championships, the Super Eagles Team B have made these finals being staged in the Rainbow Nation.
Of course, there are so many teams that must be reckoned with as the Eagles go into the campaign. Ghana’s Black Stars are there and also showed their sting by beating Namibia in Windhoek in a friendly the same day the Eagles edged Ethiopia in Abuja.
We also must not forget the host nation, South Africa, which lost out in the full-strength Africa Cup of Nations and also failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014.
This championship would be seen as an opportunity for South Africa to also win something continental after 18 years of waiting, since their victory in the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations.
Mozambique, the other team in Group A, must also not be under-rated, having secured qualification at the expense of fellow Lusophone nation, Angola. The Angolans were rated much higher in their final qualifying fixture and after drawing 0-0 in Maputo, the Negras thought it was theirs for the taking. But the Mambas shocked everyone by digging their feet into the ground for a 1-1 draw in Angola.
Morocco, which eliminated Cup holders Tunisia, is another team to watch out for in the latter rounds as they are certainly not going to be pushover.
Democratic Republic of Congo, winners of the first edition of the championship in Cote d’Ivoire in 2009, as well as Gabon that eliminated Cameroon, and Zimbabwe which eliminated Zambia, are also capable of producing surprises.
Cote d’Ivoire, which hosted the first edition and also played at the second edition in Sudan three years ago, will definitely be licking their wounds having fallen to the Super Eagles’ superior firepower over two legs.
Falconets On Way To Canada 2014…
I have never doubted the ability of the U-20 Women National Team, Falconets, who now have only South Africa between them and another berth at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup finals.
Today at the National Stadium, Abuja, the Falconets will take on the Basetsana in the first leg of their final qualifying fixture, and a handsome win is our expectation from a team that downed Sierra Leone 16-0 and Tunisia 8-0 in the earlier rounds.
The NFF hereby calls on Nigerians to turn out in large numbers at the National Stadium, Abuja to cheer the girls to another massive win.
Next Week: Our Expectations for First Quarter (2)