Brazil 2014
Argentina’s Angel Di Maria could miss the remainder of the World Cup, kickOffNigeria.com reports.
The Real Madrid winger limped off with a thigh injury in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Belgium in Brasilia.
Di Maria’s agent, Eugenio Lopez, said the player has torn his thigh muscle, meaning he will miss Wednesday’s semi-final clash against Netherlands, and the final on Sunday.
Super Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi could face a lengthy spell of at least eight weeks on the sideline following an injury he suffered in Monday’s game against France at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The Lazio midfielder broke his tibia and fibula from the horror tackle of France midfielder, Blaise Matuidi in a second-round match which Nigeria lost 2-0.
There has been no official word from the Nigerian camp as the team left Brazil on Tuesday, a day after crashing out of the World Cup, supersport.com says.
But Coach Stephen Keshi said after the match on Monday that Onazi will be “out now probably for weeks.”
“I am not happy with the officiating because Onazi, on two occasions, had a very bad tackle and nothing was done. He is out now probably for weeks,” Keshi said at the post-match conference in Brasilia on Monday.
John Obi Mikel also felt that Onazi had suffered a broken ankle from the tackle.
“There were some heavy challenges and I think Onazi has broken his ankle. Challenges like the one that took him out are bad but it was a 50-50, he just miscalculated,” Mikel said.
Onazi now has the lower part of his left leg in a cast in the wake of Matuidi’s challenge.
But the Frenchman has apologised to Onazi in the aftermath of his tackle.
“I had no fear of being sent off. I’m sorry I didn’t want to hurt Onazi. I am very sad, I’m not a bad player. I even went in the locker room of Nigeria to apologise,” said Matuidi.
Onazi earlier on Tuesday took to the micro-blogging website, Twitter, to say he has accepted Matuidi’s apology.
“Hello Blaise Matuidi thanks for the support and for concern. Let the game go on,” he wrote via his Twitter account.
Nigeria Football Federation President, Aminu Maigari, has backed the Super Eagles to bounce back from the stalemate with Iran by beating Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday.
Maigari made this disclosure when he paid a morale boosting visit to the team’s camp on Wednesday afternoon to assure the players of the Federation’s backing.
He also told the players he is confident they will advance to the next round of the competition in spite of their slow start.
Maigari reminded the team of how it struggled at the beginning of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, but later went on to win the competition.
“We have heard the barrage of criticisms against you by the same people who say you are the best in the world only a few days ago,” kickOffNigeria.com quoted Maigari as saying to the players.
“But we know that it was the same thing that happened at the Nations Cup and helped to rejuvenate the team.
“I am certain that those who have criticized you today, will be the same people that will join to celebrate you in the coming weeks and it will be to the glory of God and the greatness of Nigeria,” he declared.
In response, Super Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo, said he was aware of the criticisms especially in the social media but declared that the team remains undaunted and will once again prove critics wrong in Saturday’s match.
“We know the football family is behind us, we know the NFF is behind us and we will not let the nation down when the time comes for us to be counted among great football nations,” he said.
The NFF President thereafter presented the papers of the landed properties given to the team by President Goodluck Jonathan after winning the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa.
Maigari was accompanied on the visit by the Chairman of NFF Technical Committee, Barr. Chris Green, Chairman, Media and Publicity of the NFF, High Chief Emeka Inyama, Executive Committee member and Enyimba FC boss, Chief Felix Anyansi Agwu and the Assistant Director Media, NFF, Demola Olajire.
Also with the NFF President were – former Super Eagles captain, Nwankwo Kanu and the Personal Assistant to the NFF President, Jubril Nasir.
Official of Nigeria’s supporters’ club will protest to FIFA after they were stopped from taking their equipment into the Arena Baixada in Curitiba on Monday.
President General of the Nigeria Football Supporters’ Club, Rafiu Ladipo, said their musical instruments, including drums, trumpets and others were confiscated at the gates.
“This is unacceptable,” a very angry Ladipo told KickOffNigeria.com.
“The Nigeria supporters club has attended every FIFA World Cup since 1994, except 2006 when we didn’t qualify, and we have always gone there with our instruments.
“We cannot understand why we were prevented from taking them in this time. And we are going to make an official complaint to FIFA.”
Ladipo also accused organizers of double standards, claiming other countries at other venues had musical instruments in the stands.
“We saw Brazilian supporters with musical instruments, and we also saw some other countries too.
“Is there double standards? We want to know.”
Leader of the Federal Government’s delegation to Brazil 2014 and President of the Senate, David Mark, on Tuesday urged Super Eagles’ players to step up their game against Bosnia Herzegovina in order to qualify for the next stage of the competition.
Reacting to the Super Eagles goal-less draw against the Iranian national team, Mark said the Nigerian lads tried but they need to improve their game against Bosnia if they are to make the needed impact.
Mark was quoted in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Kola Ologbondiyan, to have said that: “Every team is important and every match must be taken seriously. The Super Eagles must therefore bring their resilience and the indomitable spirit of Nigeria to bear and deliver goals.
“Nigerians are eagerly waiting for an improved game in your next match. The national image and pride is at stake and you cannot afford to let our people down.”
He assured the team that the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria would continue to support them.
He enjoined them to put the draw with Iran behind them and move ahead.
Nigeria’s coach Stephen Keshi has played down the effect of the 0-0 stalemate with Iran in Monday’s game at Curitiba by assuring fans that his team will aim for a win in the next game against Bosnia Herzegovina.
Keshi was disappointed that his players could not translate their dominance into goals, but noted that it’s not an unusual trend in football for a dominant team to have goal scoring problems.
“This is football, were you can dominate ball possession but cannot score goals. I don’t know (what went wrong), but that is football,” kickOffNigeria.com quoted Keshi as saying after the match.
The “Big Boss” however insisted that the players will have to move on from the game against Iran by improving on their performance and go for victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Saturday.
“I wanted a win, but we must take the draw,” Keshi said after the game. “We must do better to get a win against Bosnia,” he added.
Officials of the Nigeria Football Federation as well as members of the playing and coaching crew of the Super Eagles have debunked rumours of a row over appearance fees and bonuses by insisting the team is focused on Monday’s game against Iran.
NFF’s Technical Committee Chairman, Chris Green, who is in Curitiba along with other officials of the Federation lamented the fact that mischief makers in some section of the media are still fueling a matter that has been resolved.
“When the Senate President, David Mark ,came here to meet with us and the players, he was totally convinced at our sincerity with the players and what we have on board as the team progresses but some people are just hell bent on ensuring that they raise issues that don’t even exist,” kickOffNigeria.com quoted Green as saying on the issue.
He further explained that the NFF has agreed with the players to pay $10,000 winning bonus for first round games, $12,500 for second round game, $15,000 for quarter final and $20,000 for semi-final. That will also increase marginally to $25,000 if the team wins the trophy.
The percentage earnings from monies that may accrue to the players from what FIFA gives to the NFF was also put at 30 percent for the group stages, 40 for the second round, 50 for the quarter final, 60 for the semi-final and 70 percent for the final.
“When we unveiled this before the President of the Senate who represented President Goodluck Jonathan, he was full of praises for us and promised that he will add a special bonus from government to the players and promised further surprises if the team goes far in the tourney.”
Head Coach of the team, Stephen Keshi also warned against distracting the team from its set goals, declaring that his players are focused on the game against Iran and will not tolerate any form of distraction.
“The players may have issues but I think they have been settled amicably, so let them allow us to play,” he said.
African sides are as good as any at the World Cup and one could end up winning it in Brazil, Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi said on Sunday ahead of his side’s opening group game against Asian giants Iran.
And if Nigeria get that far, against the current odds, expect at least one reporter to be running for cover.
“I will love it. I will kiss you all over,” supersport.com quoted the former Nigeria captain as saying at a news conference inside the Baixada arena, where his players kick off their campaign on Monday.
Nigeria is one of five representatives from the continent competing in Brazil – the others are Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast – and face a tough task to get through a Group F that also includes Argentina and Bosnia.
However, Keshi said his team’s chances should not be underestimated.
Asked how close he felt Africa was to winning the Cup for the first time, he did not hesitate: “Very close.
“Because they (the African sides) are good. As good as any other teams that are here. I think this tournament is an open tournament. We just have to do what we have to do,” he continued.
Ghana’s Black Stars came within a penalty shootout from becoming the first African side to reach the semifinals at the last World Cup in South Africa in 2010 while Nigeria has twice previously reached the second round.
Cameroon made it to the quarterfinals in 1990 as did Senegal in 2002.
“This team is growing, it’s like a baby,” Keshi said of his current crop of players, when asked to compare them with his class of World Cup debutants 20 years ago. “This team is just a year and a half-old. The team of 1994 was almost five or six years old.
“In 1994, the spirit was very high, we didn’t care where the (opposing) team was coming from, we knew we are going to go out there and win the game. Here, we’re building that, we try to bring the same spirit.
“Once we get the spirit, trust me, it’s going to be two times as strong as 1994.”
… Full house for Eagles
Gabriel Reuben has returned to full training, ensuring that Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi would have full team for Monday’s clash against Iran.
Reuben has not trained with the squad for two days due to fitness concern. But in the team’s first session since arriving at their Curitiba match venue, the ex-Kano Pillars’ midfielder looked ready for the crucial group F clash against the Asian giants.
Although he is not expected to start, the midfielder’s return is a welcome boost to Keshi, who continues to rue the injury-enforced departure of Elderson Echiejile.
“I’m not very happy he is not here with us, because he is one of our best players, but Juwon (Oshaniwa) is stepping up, and he is improving.
“But I’m happy everybody is fit and we hope to be ready before our match,” Keshi told kickOffNigeria.com.
The game kicks off at 4Pm local time (8PM Nigeria time).
President Goodluck Jonathan has urged the Super Eagles boost the nation’s image by working hard to win the Federation International Football Association (FIFA) 20th soccer World Cup holding in Brazil.
Jonathan’s goodwill message was delivered by the leader of the Federal Government’s delegation and President of the Senate, David Mark, to the team at Campinas, São Paulo.
The President according to a statement by the Special Adviser Media to the Senate President, Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja, said: “Football is our nation’s greatest unifying factor in the face of our current national challenges.”
“You can not afford to disappoint the nation because with your performance at this World Cup tournament, we can recreate a new image for our great country,” he further said.
He recalled the Super Eagles’ sterling performances at various tournaments in the past, and maintained that the current team can relive such brilliant performances in Brazil.
“Concentrate on the main objective of bringing the cup home to make Nigeria and Africa proud.
“I therefore urge you to win the first match against Iran in a way that will send a very clear message to the remaining teams in this tournament that you are in Brasil to win the World Cup.
“You must keep the resilient Nigerian spirit with you, be patriotic in exhibiting your prowesses and go the extra mile to bring the cup home.
“Nigerians are eagerly waiting to celebrate you when you come home with the cup.”
Coach Stephen Keshi, told the President of the Senate, to “assure President Jonathan that we will make Nigeria proud. We will exhibit the character of being a Nigerian and make the nation as well as Africa proud.
“We are very prepared and if it is possible to take the game right now, we are ready.”
Earlier, the captain of the team, Joseph Yobo told the delegation that playing for the nation confers a huge responsibility on the team noting however that “it is a task we can achieve.
“We have come a very long way to be here but are prepared and more motivated having seen you to fight like lions. We will make our nation, our family and Africa proud,” Yobo said.