Eagles not in Brazil to make up the number

It was a good feeling to leave Nairobi with three points the other mid-week and it would have been even better feeling to leave Windhoek on Wednesday with the maximum points.Kenya’s Harambee Stars, who had boasted ahead of the clash with Nigeria that they would eke a win over the Eagles, would eventually do us […]

It was a good feeling to leave Nairobi with three points the other mid-week and it would have been even better feeling to leave Windhoek on Wednesday with the maximum points.
Kenya’s Harambee Stars, who had boasted ahead of the clash with Nigeria that they would eke a win over the Eagles, would eventually do us some little favour by battling to a 2-2 draw with Malawi just hours before the Super Eagles took the pitch of Sam Nujoma Stadium against the Brave Warriors.
Indeed, the Warriors of Namibia played bravely, not minding the pedigree and quality of the African champions, and survived with a draw.
I joined the players and officials to watch the match between Malawi and Kenya in Blantyre on television and I praised the way Coach Keshi impressed it on his wards at the final whistle that nothing had changed. “We must follow our own gameplan and go all out for a win.”
That informed the Eagles’ lively start to the game in Windhoek, and although the goals refused to come as chances went a-begging, it piled pressure on the hosts and they could have been three goals down before the interval. However, the missed chances let them off and they began to grow in confidence, to torment us in the second half.
Just as the High Commission in Nairobi was wonderful in their disposition to support the Nigeria Football Federation in all arrangements ahead of the match in Kenya, and hosted the team to a dinner a day later, the High Commission of Nigeria in small-but-dainty Windhoek also went all out to assist and many thanks to His Excellency, Ambassador Nath Olorunfemi and his Mission staff.
All through the six days that the Super Eagles’ delegation spent in Windhoek, the High Commissioner and his staff showed great spirit and readiness to play the good hosts and the players and officials testified to their hospitality and good demeanour.
On Thursday, the Super Eagles flew out of Windhoek, spent a couple of hours in Johannesburg and then boarded the long flight to Sao Paulo.
Getting to Sao Paulo around midnight, the group then flew into Belo Horizonte.
The good feeling around the entire group, and the Nigeria Football Federation, means that our country is looking forward to a credible outing at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup tournament starting today, with Brazil playing Japan in Brasilia.
The Super Eagles will take on Tahiti on Monday, in Belo Horizonte. Without taking anything away from the Oceania champions, the African champions would prove too much to handle for them.
While we are missing some good players in Emmanuel Emenike and Victor Moses, the truth is that these boys have bonded into a team in which the players play for themselves and work hard for one another.
The Executive Committee and Management of the NFF is confident that the Super Eagles have what it takes to clear maximum points against Tahiti and Uruguay, and then give their all against the Spaniards in Fortaleza on June 23.
The Spaniards are not unbeatable, as our Eagles themselves proved 15 years ago, when beating the better-rated Spaniards (rated as Cup favourites, for sure) 3-2 in Nantes at the 1998 FIFA World Cup finals.
Uruguay finished in fourth position at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa three years ago and recently drew themselves into contention for a 2014 FIFA World Cup ticket, beating Venezuela away on Tuesday night. But all these would only make the clash with the Nigeria team on June 20 in Salvador competitive.
The Super Eagles say they don’t fear any team and that is the best spirit with which to approach any match or championship. I am of the firm belief that the Eagles will do something great at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.
Certainly, the Nigeria Football Federation deserves some praise for the way it has handled a whole lot of matters around the Super Eagles, Flying Eagles and the  Golden Eaglets in the past few months.
The Flying Eagles played at the African Youth Championship in Algeria, the Golden Eaglets played at the African U-17 Championship in Morocco and the Super Eagles have literally traveled the world.
Perhaps, I should start with the Flying Eagles, who camped in Nnewi for some weeks before flying to Germany for a training camp. While there, they played a number of friendly matches. Later, they proceeded to France for the Toulon International Youth Tournament, played another friendly after the tournament and just as they were preparing to head back to Germany, the floods took over that country.
The boys had to head to Austria to put finishing touches to their preparation for the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey. They will fly into Turkey on Monday.
The senior boys camped in Nuremberg, Germany for a number of weeks before flying to the United States of America for a friendly with Mexico, traveled back to Germany, flew to Nairobi through Addis Ababa, flew to Windhoek through Johannesburg and then flew back to Johannesburg, and straight again to Brazil.
We should equally credit the players and the officials for their dedication and sacrifice, which saw them through this challenging schedule. It was not easy planning all these but we thank God for everything.
I believe there would be several more reasons to thank God after the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, and after the Super Eagles must have earned the ticket to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals.
NEXT WEEK: No Way For Spain In Fortaleza