The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Brazil 2014 fifa World Cup

  • Brazil 2014 fifa wolrd cup: NFF reassures on Eagles, Mexico clash

    Brazil 2014 fifa wolrd cup: NFF reassures on Eagles, Mexico clash

    Ahead of summer’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil, first Vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation(NFF), Mike Okeke Umeh has revealed that the football house is working hard to have Nigeria tackle Mexico’s El tri next month.

    Umeh further disclosed that plans are equally underway to ensure that Nigeria play as many friendly matches as possible before the commencement of the mundial.

    “There are lots of friendly matches lined up and I can tell you that because we have surpassed that stage of having fire brigade preparation in any tournament, the world cup won’t be an exception.

    “In March, we are going to play against Mexico in the United States,” he confirmed.

    Umeh stated that the Federation has tailored its Calendar of event after the FIFA calendar just as the international friendly matches will hinge on FIFA free days.

    “We’re been guided by the window of the FIFA schedule; when we have a free window from FIFA then we can play good friendlies so that we can get the professionals ready for the world cup,” Umeh told Lagos-based Brila FM.

     

  • Ahead Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup: Ambassador Emozozo visits Glass House

    Ahead Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup: Ambassador Emozozo visits Glass House

    • Maigari foresees brilliant Eagles outing

    The newly-appointed Ambassador of Nigeria to Brazil, Adamu Emozozo, on Wednesday pledged that the Nigerian Embassy will give all needed diplomatic support to the Super Eagles to make a big impact at the 20th FIFA World Cup finals, taking place this summer.

    Emozozo, who has concurrent accreditation to Paraguay and Bolivia, replaces Ambassador Victor Okoedion, who was recently posted to another country.

    Speaking during a visit to NFF President, Aminu Maigari at the Glass House, Emozozo declared that while the Embassy would facilitate several things in the diplomatic sector, it would not interfere with technical and administrative issues that would be entirely left to the NFF.

    “I am coming into this position at a time Brazil is staging several major events, including the FIFA World Cup this year and the Olympic Games in 2016. While carrying out the transformation agenda, we are also committed to seeing that our football continues to rise.

    “It is a great thing that our football teams have been going from one success to the other. You are one of the most prominent persons I will be working with in the next few months. I believe our Super Eagles can perform well at the FIFA World Cup finals if we all work together.”

    The NFF President congratulated the new Ambassador and promised that the NFF would work in tandem with the Embassy to make things much easier for the Super Eagles and the Nigerian delegation to the World Cup finals.

    Also present at the meeting were NFF General Secretary, Musa Amadu, Director of Competitions, Mohammed Sanusi, Assistant Director (Communications), Ademola Olajire, former NFF Head of International, Charles Ojugbana and Raymond Okey Nebo, senior counsellor at Embassy of Nigeria in Brazil.

  • Brazil 2014 fifa World Cup: Keshi’s team list not final, says Siasia

    Brazil 2014 fifa World Cup: Keshi’s team list not final, says Siasia

    A former Super Eagles Head Coach, Samson Siasia, on Wednesday said any team list from Coach Stephen Keshi for the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janerio was not final.

    Siasia told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that many unforeseen circumstances could come up between now and the beginning of the tournament in Brazil.

    NAN reports that the 2014 World Cup would kick off on June 12. He said there was still time for adjustment as the country has not less than six months to the World Cup, pointing out that within this period, some of the players on the current list could be injured or get out of form.

    Siasia said: “So, you only pick players that are in form or playing in their chains; so there will be a lot of changes. You won’t get the players that will actually go to the World Cup now, not until you get very close; maybe two months from now or so before the World Cup.”

    He noted that early preparation with friendly matches were important planks in the steps to adequate preparation.

    According to him, there is the need to spy on the teams in the group that Nigeria is in so as to know their strengths and weaknesses.

    “Keshi can’t do all those ones; he has to send someone to go and look at them and get their videos; football has gone beyond what we see now. So, these are the areas they should help him,” he said, pointing out that in his estimation, Keshi was doing well.

    Siasia urged Nigerians to be critical of the preparations and offer suggestions and be ready to travel to Brazil to cheer their team to victory, saying with good preparation, the boys would do well.

  • Brazil 2014 fifa World Cup: NFF expects Keshi’s play-off programme

    Brazil 2014 fifa World Cup: NFF expects Keshi’s play-off programme

    Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is expecting the Super Eagles Coach, Stephen Keshi to submit his programme for the final play-off for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

    The Football body has given the coach the time after the Tuesday’s friendly game against Burkina Faso in Kaduna to submit his programme on time for the play-off that is expected to come up between October and November this year.

    ‘’Now that the team has qualified for the last lap of qualifiers and awaits the next opponent, adequate preparation is important. Report reaching shows that Ivory Coast, Ghana, Egypt, Cameroon, Algeria, Cape Verde, Burkina Faso Ethiopia, and Senegal have qualified for the run-off and you know it is going to be a two –legged affairs and on knock-out bases. So we expect at the end of the day Keshi to submit his programmes because we do not know our next opponent yet,” Ikpeme said.

    ‘’The fact that the team is going to have the next match in October, to me it is not really an issue because we expect at the end of the day Keshi is going to submit his programmes for the next run-off which is going to come up after the draws Monday next week.’’

    Ikpeme is also confident on the chances of the Nigerian team to pick the World Cup ticket. ‘’We in the Federation are not worried because the Nigeria Premier League is on and the players, those of them playing locally and their colleagues in Europe play everyday and they will be fit. We have the players and what it takes to qualify for Brazil 2014,” he disclosed.