The Nation Newspaper

Category: World Cup 2014

Brazil 2014

  • Eagles almost ready for Iran – Keshi

    Eagles almost ready for Iran – Keshi

    Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, has said the team is ‘almost ready’ for its World Cup opening game against Iran.

    Nigeria opens its campaign against Asia’s top-ranked team, but the Nigeria coach said his team is still a little way off.

    “I will say we are almost where we want to be,” he told KickOffNigeria.com.

    “The passing is coming the way we want it, and the players are getting things right the way we want.

    “By the time the match comes around, we should be ready.”

    The Super Eagles found goal scoring hard in the friendly games, and Keshi admitted that it was a concern.

    “Yeah, that’s something we have to work on,” Keshi conceded. “We have been doing a lot of work around that and I hope that by the time our games come around, the players will do what they have to do.”

    One area where the coach was pleased was the return to fitness of all his players, although he did express some sadness over the loss of Elderson Echiejile.

    Kenneth Omeruo, Ahmed Musa and Juwon Oshaniwa are all fully recovered from slight knocks.

    “Yes I am happy (that we have all our players fit again. But I am also not a little bit happy because Elderson Echiejile is not here. He was one of our best players.

    “But Juwon is stepping up and the other players are helping him so we should be well covered.”

    The team leaves for Curitiba on Saturday morning.

  • Netherlands humiliate Spain 5-1

    Netherlands humiliate Spain 5-1

    FORMER Chelsea star Arjen Robben and Manchester United hitman Robin Van Persie were on top form as Holland ran riot against reigning World Cup champions Spain.

    Despite a slow start to the game, it was Spain who took the lead after half an hour through a Xabi Alonso penalty.

    However, Van Persie levelled for the Dutch a minute before half-time with an early Goal of the Tournament contender, smashing home a flying header after a beautifully-weighted 45-yard pass from Daley Blind.

    Robben put Holland 2-1 up in the 53rd minute, his fantastic first touch leaving Gerard Pique in his wake and firing home to send the Dutch fans wild.

    RVP hit the bar with a thundering shot before defender Stefan de Vrij headed home from a set-piece for 3-1.

    David Silva had a goal disallowed minutes before Van Persie bagged his second of the evening.

    Robben rounded off the night with a great solo run and finish, leaving Spain humiliated in their first match in Brazil.

  • WINDOW IN BRAZIL

    WINDOW IN BRAZIL

    •Brazilians love the beautiful game. They dream it, eat it, drink it and sleep with it. Little wonder young people getting ready to for their weddings during the ongoing World Cup have chosen the colours of their country and equipment associated with soccer.
    Wedding ceremonies shown on television have seen couples dressed in Brazil’s yellow and blue attires. First the brides wear yellow wedding dresses while the men wear loose white shirts on blue trousers or white on blue trousers, apparently showcasing the Brazilians registered colours for the Mundial.
    As for the flower girls and the page boys, they wear blue shorts and yellow tops. They carry balls instead of flowers. The bouquet thrown by the bride at young girls primed to get married too is the World Cup ball. It is a very exciting scene to witness.
    •It rained heavily in the wee hours of Friday. Heavy thunder storms. for us Nigerians, we expected to see flooded roads and gridlocks. We were shocked to find the only trace of rain been the drying paths of the road.
    All the rain had drained into functional drainages. The traffic was light. No umbrellas nor did we people wading through clogs of water on the streets. curiously, I searched for the gutters but they were all covered and formed the walk ways which pedestrians used.
    not convinced my prying caught a small gap close to one of the traffic lights. I looked and noticed that the hole had a regulator. Wonder who had left it open, I noticed a vehicle carrying wastes. my question had been answered.
    •Talking about how they evacuate waste in Brazil is quite interesting. it is done at night or should I say from the evenings. before the waste vans arrive, the heaps are neatly packed in black cellophane backs. These bags are again neatly arranged in heaps in front of each person’s store or house. Nothing spills from the bags in the heaps. the pavement where these bags of waste are is always neat.
    •Where are the long haul vehicles in Brazil? When I say long haul vehicles, I talking about the trailers can cause nightmare for motorists on the highways and cities. No one has seen them despite the ongoing construction work in the country, especially around the designated stadia. We were told that they operate after midnight. No one dares violate the directive no matter your status in the country. I have spent five days in Brazil, I have seen any accident scene in spite of the fact that the Brazilians won last night by beating Croatia 3-1.
    •The fear of terrorists is the beginning of wisdom in Brazil. No one is excluded. what it means is that security is taken seriously. no margin for errors here. leisurely, the Punch newspaper’s Group sports editor Pius Ayinor and I walked to the Corithians stadium on Friday to work. We reasoned that the place would be quite. It was when we eventually entered the place.
    The security man placed the gadget on Ayinor’s media badge and shook his head. I noticed that Pius was as stunned as I was. He tried thrice. with every try, he shook his head as if to suggest that a suspect had been fished out.
    Quickly, he asked Ayinor to step aside. I moved forward and my badge cleared the test. I couldn’t leave Ayinor behind, so I waited. all these time, I noticed a neatly dressed girl watching us. from our countenance, she fathomed that were no suspects. I saw put a call to another colleague. he came quickly and use his detector on Ayinor’s badge. It failed the test. this new man didn’t shake his head like the first did. Instead, he told us to enter the media centre but pleaded with Ayinor to head back to the Accreditation centre on Saturday (today) to get a new badge.
    •Destitutes in Sau Paulo are on their own. Events on Friday morning suggested such as they were seen lying down on the cold streets occasioned by the early hours rain. it was a pitiable sight. Ayinor said as much. He argued that such a thing won’t happen in Nigeria, largely because one Good Samaritan would have given them succor. I’m still pinching myself to see if such a scene cant be mad worse in Nigeria. Are these people not like the urchins we find all over Nigeria? I am still pinching myself.
    •Journey by the train is really revealing, especially the interchanges from point one to the other. Matters are made worse by the language barrier of most people. There are signs to guide you but everywhere looks the same. What this tells the newcomer is that Brazil is an organized country.
    The train stations are like others in civilised countries is structured in such a way that if you don’t have cash, you cannot assess them. here, we have not seen the rogues and rough heads. We have been thrilled by love scenes by lovers. Yet, the big surprise is the absence of uniformed men and women – what we call staff in Nigeria.
    Staff like they are known in Nigeria ride buses free. they flaunt all kinds of identity cards to show why they should hike buses free. Happily, I asked one Brazilian woman, who spoke Queens English if uniformed personnel are not allowed to use the train stations? she told me pointedly- everyone pays.
    Of course, they had to do so like others. besides, everywhere is covered by CCTV. no room for nonsense. Can we have this setting in Nigeria? E no possible, ko se se se. The CCTV gadgets will be stolen by those who installed them in collaboration with the contractor who gave them the jobs. Nigeria will hail thee!

  • Eagles of hope

    Eagles of hope

    The world’s greatest show has opened in Brazil. But I’m not excited. The talk in her about likely fairytale teams doesn’t include Nigeria. Hisses and sighs rent the air when Super Eagles is mentioned. What you hear are the exploits of Nwankwo Kanu, Austin Okocha, the late Rashidi Yekini, Emmannuel Emenike et al. They also talk about Stephen Keshi but the discussion stops at his feats with European teams because he played just a game at the USA’94 World. They ask how Nigeria dropped to such a laughable level where we are now parading a comity of bench warmers.

    They still celebrate Daniel Amokachi. Many purists still rate Da Bull as Nigeria’s best player, ahead of Kanu, courtesy of his exploits in England, Belgium and Turkey. They argue that Kanu was skillful, a match winner but he lacked the Da Bull’s guts. Nigeria kissed the USA’94 World Cup bye when Amokachi exited with the injury that nailed his career, they say. The argument can continue but my choice is Kanu. I wish these pundits could watch the Atlanta’96 Olympic Games where Kanu and Amokachi played. Kanu was certainly the best player in the world in that competition.

    They talk about Sunday Oliseh as the most accomplished Nigerian player. He played in Ajax FC of Holland, in several clubs in Belgium, Juventus in Italy and Dortmund in Germany, among others. Taribo West featured in the discussion. So did Victor Ikpeba, who many argue was Nigeria’s fastest. Do you agree? I feel it is Tijani Babangida. Perhaps after Segun Odegbami, Samuel Okpodu and Dominic Iorfa of yore? Emmanuel Emenike featured in the fastest player debate. But were they faster than Clement Temile? So, who is Nigeria’s fastest player? Food for thought.

    The discussion moved to the current Super Eagles and the unanimous choice of the best player fell on goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama. Quickly, one of the discussants swore it wasn’t Enyeama. He argued that picking Enyeama was disastrous because it meant that the balls must always come towards him if he must justify our ratings. The message didn’t sink. He saw it on our faces and explained further.

    Craving for the balls to come towards Enyeama during Nigeria’s World Cup matches could be dangerous. Any error from him will be a goal and it would be very difficult for the Eagles’ attackers to equalise. The poser of having goalkeeper Austin Ejide as Enyeama’s deputy arose. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He muttered inaudible words and broke into a long prayer in which he asked God not to commit the Eagles into the shame of having a goalkeeper, who is not at his best to man the goalpost.

    This Enyeama apostle asked God to forgive the coaches for whatever sins they would have committed in picking the squad, pointing out that as rookies to the senior World Cup, such mistakes are pardonable. We all chorused Amen. But our man wasn’t done with his prayers. He went into momentary soliloquy and started binding and casting any spirit that will bring up the need for goalkeeper Chigozie Agbim to man the goalpost. The “Amen” was deafening.

    The prayer reached its crescendo when the choice of defenders came up. The back four men were difficult to pick. Godfrey Oboabona was the unanimous choice. Efe Ambrose next but the problem was in which position. Who will pair Oboabona in the central defence between Joseph Yobo and Omeruo? Many settled for Omeruo, except that they were worried if he had the cognate experience to marshal the defence against prolific strikers such as Messi, Higuain, Dzeko, Aguero, Di Maria etc.

    At this point the prayer had stopped. Another character took over. He explained why Yobo should pair Omeruo not Oboabona. These pundits argued that Oboabona should marshal the defence from the right back, where he can overlap and shoot at the goal. There was silence. Many recalled watching Oboabona play for Sunshine FC of Akure at the right back and scoring goals.

    Oboabona’s choice at the right back changed the argument. Again, this pundit suggested that Omeruo could be moved to the left back and Ambrose deployed to pair Yobo in the central defence. He was shouted down and called names. Herein lies the difficulty of the coaches in picking the Eagles’ first 11 players.

    The session to pick the midfielders continued. John Mikel Obi and Oguenyi Onazi stood out. The question became the formation that the coaches would adopt. The discussion moved to picking the four attackers. Emmanuel Emenike was the obvious choice to lead the team’s attacking forays. The issue arose about his fitness. Many pointed out that Emenike had been a shadow of his Africa Cup of Nations’ form, especially when fielded without Brown Ideye, who was dropped by the coaches for not having the knack for scoring goals.

    Who will pair Emenike upfront? Osaze Odewingie, who the coaches have said is desperate to impress them (whatever that means)? Or Shola Ameobi, who hasn’t shown the knack of scoring goals that we have seen him do for Barclays English premier league side Newcastle? Or debutant Nwofor?

    Tough task, no doubt. One guy suggested Victor Moses to pair Emenike. He was shot down by the others who preferred Ahmed Musa. Is Ahmed Musa fit for the World Cup? We settled for Musa- Emenike combination but with a caveat that the coaches must be sure that he is truly fit, lest we waste a big opportunity to utilise the three substitutions required by the laws of the game for tactical decisions to counter what our opponents would be throwing at us.

    Moses and Osaze were picked to operate from the midfield and join the attack. They would fall back into the midfield when we lose possession of the ball. The flaw from this mundane 4-2-4 formation which our coaches have played is that it lacks the presence of a creative midfielder, who can change the game tactically. What Moses offers to the Eagles is his dribbling skills which create openings. But Moses spoils it by excessive dribbling. Besides, he fails to swing the passes to his freer mates, preferring to shoot at the goal from very tight spots. The problem with Moses and his witty dribbles is that they are predictable. Such dribblers are easily marked. Witty coaches would deploy a hard tackling defender to mark him. The defender would be told to stop Moses from getting the ball first. if that happens, Moses would cease to function.

    Can Odemwingie be Eagles’ joker by playing the link between the team’s attack and defence? He could, if told so but does he have the strength to perform such roles having played all season for Stoke as the centre forward?

    As the Eagles await the Iranians on Monday, it is important to remind our players that their opponents qualified from their group like the Nigerians. The Iranians didn’t emerge from playoffs which means that they can play the game as much as the Nigerians, especially under the tutelage of Carlos Quieroz.

    The Iranians have watched tapes of our stars in their clubs and the national team. We cannot say the same of the Iranians. I just hope this doesn’t come back to haunt us on Monday.

    Iran’s coach has the requisite knowledge to handle the big stage which the World Cup symbolises, having worked with the great Sir Alex Ferguson. Ours will be at the Mundial as rookies, even though they are World Cup stars.

    Monday is Judgment Day for the coaches. Iran must fall. They must be beaten groggy with goals. The Eagles must learn from the Confederations Cup, where beating Tahiti 6-1 wasn’t good enough for the team to progress from the group. Spain and Uruguay beat Tahiti with more goals than the Eagles.

    Iran could be another Tahiti because Argentina and Bosnia could whip them silly, if the Eagles waste scoring chances. Will the Eagles make us proud on Monday with a whiplash of Iran? It is our prayer and I pray it happens. Good luck Eagles.

  • Over 300 Eagles supporters off to Brazil

    Over 300 Eagles supporters off to Brazil

    At least 328 supporters of the Super Eagles on Friday departed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, aboard a chartered aircraft for Brazil.

    The trip was facilitated by the official travel and tour agent approved by the Nigerian Football Federation – Wakanow Travel and Tours Limited for the World Cup in Brazil.

    Speaking at a pre – departure ceremony at the airport, the Managing Director of Wakanow Travel and Tours Limited, Mr. Obinna Ekezie, said the special flight arrangement would reduce the stress associated with connecting flights from different parts of the world to Brazil.

    Ekezie said as the official company engaged by the NFF, its workers have fully mobilised to ensure the comfort of Nigerians in Brazil during the World Cup.

    He said: “Considering the fact that there are no direct flights to Brazil, with the minimum flight time to Brazil ranging between 24 to 25 hours that will take Nigerians two days of travel. We decided to get a chartered flight that will take Nigerians directly to Brazil and we will also cater for them while they are in the South American nation.

    “We will get them hotels, get them ground transportation, make sure that we get them logistic services .

    “Our staff will be there in Brazil, we have hired translators, we have even contracted restaurant in Brazil that cook Nigeria food, all these are things that we are willing to do for the Nigerians passengers and we hope that Super Eagles will perform well in Brazil.”

     

  • NFF ‘stays away’ from Eagles

    NFF ‘stays away’ from Eagles

    Nigeria Football Federation President, Aminu Maigari and other officials of the federation are keeping their distance from Super Eagles to allow maximum concentration.

    During the training camp in United States, Maigari and fellow board member Chris Greene were lodged at a different hotel from the Westin where Stephen Keshi and his wards were accommodated.

    Similarly, while in Jacksonville, no NFF official stayed at the team’s Hyatt Regency lodgings.

    Both times, the NFF bigwigs only visited when required.  Like when they arrived ahead to welcome and usher the Nigerian Consuls who came to visit the team.

    In Brazil, the NFF hotel is in São Paulo, a one and half hour drive from the team in Campinas.

    This is in marked contrast to previous years when officials would stay in this same hotel as the team, or even when they did not, would regularly visit team lodgings on a daily basis.

    Maigari told KickOffNigeria.com that the team needed the space.

    “We need to allow the players to concentrate on what they are doing,” he said. “We have our own job to do and we are doing it.

    “They don’t need any distractions. We have provided everything we think they need, but a serene environment with no distractions is important, and that is what they have in Campinas.

    “If they want something, there are easy channels of communication and we are always available to step in and solve any issues.

    “But they have a job to do and we are confident they have everything they need to do it.

    “We have confidence in the coaches and the players and we believe they will make Nigerians proud.”

  • Onazi set for crunch time

    Onazi set for crunch time

    Super Eagles midfielder, Ogenyi Onazi, says he cannot wait for the World Cup to start, as the team are fully settled in Brazil and have started training after the preparatory time spent in the United States.

    Nigeria played two warm-up matches during their stay in the United States. A goalless draw against Greece was followed by a disappointing 2-1 reversal against the US men’s national team as the Super Eagles rounded off their stay in America.

    After fully settling in, the combative Lazio player says it is crunch time and he cannot wait for the games to begin.

    “This is what it is all about. Every player’s dream is to be here, to be at the World Cup,” he told supersport.com.

    “I thank God for everything, by His grace we shall do the nation proud. We call on Nigerians to continue to support us as they always have.”

    Nigeria will play their first game in Group F of the FIFA 2014 World Cup against Iran on June 16 in Curitiba, as the Super Eagles try to win their first World Cup game since 1998 in France.

    Five days later, the Super Eagles will take on debutants Bosnia-Herzegovina before the much anticipated last group game with South American giants Argentina on June 25 at the Estadio Beira-Rio.

  • Youngsters to watch in Brazil

    Youngsters to watch in Brazil

    Four years ago, a number of youngsters under the age of 21 were tipped to shine at South Africa 2010. Among them were Carlos Vela, Giovani dos Santos, Mesut Ozil, Marko Marin, Dominic Adiyiah and Alexis Sanchez.

    But it was German midfielder, Thomas Muller who stole the show and subsequently won the best young player of the tournament after scoring five goals to propel his country to a third place finish.

    For Brazil 2014 we look at 11 of the brightest youngsters who are expected to light up the mundial in samba land.

     

    Joel Campbell (Costa Rica)

     

    In the last three years, the 21-year-old Arsenal attacking winger has been on-loan to Lorient, Real Betis and Olympiacos. But it is at Olympiacos where Campbell, who has played at the Under-17 and Under-20 levels for his country, has blossomed.

    He proved a handful for English giants, Manchester United in a UEFA Champions League round of 16 game this year when he scored one of the goals that helped the Greek giants to a 2-0 victory over the former English champions. The former Saprissa man will be at the World Cup as a champion of Greece.

     

    Raphael Varane (France)

     

    The Real Madrid defender has been tipped in several quarters to become a world-class player owing to his ability to read matches on the field. His strongest attributes are his pace and strength.

    Varane might just be the steadying influence in the heart of the French defensive unit during the Mundial if called upon by Didier Deschamps.

     

    Paul Pogba (France)

     

    He is regarded as one of the most promising young footballers in Europe. Pogba has grown through the ranks of youth football – from the French under-16s to under-20s. In 2013 at the Under-20 FIFA World Cup, Pogba helped France to win its first title at that level. He was also awarded the golden ball for his outstanding display during the tournament.

     

    He has also helped Juventus to win two consecutive Serie A title. Interestingly Pogba is nicknamed “Paul The Octopus” at Juventus because of his long legs.

     

    Granit Xhaka (Switzerland)

     

    The Swiss midfielder has been likened to Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger. Xhaka was part of the Switzerland under-17s that stunned the Golden Eaglets to claim the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup title in Nigeria. Xhaka scored his only goal of that tournament in his team’s 4-3 win over Japan in the group stage.

    At a point in his career, he was torn between playing for Albania or Switzerland before opting for the latter. The 21-year-old is currently on the books of Borussa Monchengladbach.

     

    Kenneth Omeruo (Nigeria)

    At 20, Omeruo has shown qualities that belie his age in a playing position often associated with older and experienced players. His performance at the centre of Nigeria’s defence at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations helped his country to a third African title.

    But the young defender is regarded by Chelsea as a star for the future and in the previous two seasons has had loan spells at ADO Den Haag and Middlesbrough. He is expected to be in the heart of Nigeria’s defence in Brazil.

     

    Julian Draxler (Germany)

     

    Even before the World Cup, Draxler has been linked with top clubs including Arsenal. That is how highly sought after the 20-year-old German attacking midfielder has become.

    Draxler is such an important player at Schalke 04 and is the youngest player to feature in more than 100 competitive matches for the club.

    But Draxler will have to prove to Joachim Low that he is ready for the big stage in a German team that has hugely talented players in midfield.

     

    Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)

     

    The big Chelsea forward is expected to be the main figures up front in Marc Wilmots’ team as the Belgians seek to navigate their way out of Group H against Algeria, Russia and South Korea. He is one of the highly-regarded young players in Europe this year.

     

    Adnan Januzaj (Belgium)

     

    The Manchester United player is just 19 and was considered for an England call-up but opted to represent Belgium.

    The teenager will be hoping to get more caps under his belt at the World Cup despite the presence of the talented Eden Hazard.

     

    Son Heung-Min (South Korea)

     

    The 21-year-old South Korean striker plays club football at Bundesliga outfit, Bayer Leverkusen. Son can play in different attacking positions due to the fact that he is two-footed and pacy. One of the highlight of Son’s international career is when he came off the bench to score the winner in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Qatar.

     

    Serge Aurier (Ivory Coast)

     

    He is a powerful right-back and has been a subject of transfer by two of England’s top clubs, Arsenal and Liverpool. The 21-year-old Toulouse defender has made nine appearances for the Ivorian men’s national team.

    Aurier, who came through the Lens youth ranks, is a versatile defender with great vision and dribbling skills. He has quick feet. The defender will have the chance to display all of that in the coming days in Brazil.

     

    Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (England)

     

    The Ox, as he is called, needs no introduction. The Arsenal youngster carries the weight of a football nation on his shoulders. In his first season in the English top flight, the Oxlade-Chamberlain, who can play as a winger or attacking midfielder was among the nominees for the PFA Young Player of the Year.

    The 20-year-old after coming through the England youth teams will be keen to shake off an injury in time to feature in England’s group matches against Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in Group D.

     

    Culled from supersport.com

  • Omeruo returns to training

    Omeruo returns to training

    Nigeria received a boost on Wednesday as defender Kenneth Omeruo trained fully with the rest of the squad at the Estadio Brinco De Ouro da Princesa in Campinas.

    Omeruo last trained with the squad on Thursday when he picked up a slight knock in training, kickOffigeria.com reports.

    He also missed the friendly game against the United States which the team lost 1-2 and did not train after, walking with the Physio around the field as the team rounded off its training in U.S.

    But the defender made a full and complete return to Super Eagles first session on arrival in Brazil, and officials are confident he is in line to start the opening game against Iran on June 16.

  • Keshi ranked lowest

    Keshi ranked lowest

    Among the 32  coaches that will be battling for supremacy as the World Cup kicks off today in Brazil, Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi tops the list of five lowest-paid coaches on the log.

    Keshi, who is hitting the Brazil 2014 fresh from winning the Nations Cup in South Africa and making history as one to have won the continental fiesta as player and coach respectively, collects (£234,000) per annum from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    Keshi’s situation nonetheless is better compared to the remaining four coaches in the lowest paid category. Bosnia’s coach Safet Susic who incidentally will be trying Keshi’s Eagles for size June 21, takes home £210,000. Croatia’s Niko Kovac comes in the third position with £162,000 per annum take home. Coach of West African neighbours Ghana James Appiah is in the fourth place with a package of £150,000 per annum while Mexico’s Miguel Herrera takes the rear  £125,000.

    Unlike his African counterparts Sabri Lamouchi of the Ivory Coast, a Frenchman with a Tunisian heritage, appears to be in a world of his own with a take home pay of £618,125 almost twice Keshi’s salary and four times that of James Appiah.  The summit of the take home log however is led by Russia’s coach Fabio Capello, who takes home almost £7m a year followed by England coach Roy Hodgson who takes home £3.5m and Italy coach Cesare Prandelli with £2.58m a year respectively

    A MailSport review of what the managers of the World Cup nations earn shows that seven bosses are earning more than £2m per year as they seek the biggest prize in their global game for their employers.