The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mexico

  • Herrera wants to remain Mexico’s coach

    Mexico coach Miguel Herrera won fans from far and wide at Brazil 2014 and he’d like to do the same at Russia 2018.

    “I really want to carry on,” said Herrera at Mexico City’s international airport after after arriving back from Brazil on Monday night. “We’ll give in the (World Cup) report (to the Mexican federation) and then afterwards they’ll make a decision.”

    Herrera once again lamented the standard of refereeing at the World Cup in the games Mexico was involved in, but admitted that his team lacked the nous to see out the game against the Netherlands, having been 1-0 up until the 88th minute.

    “We didn’t know how to play out the last minutes, keep the ball, take it to the corner,” explained the 46-year-old. “We lacked a little cunning, but I’m also thankful we didn’t use dirty tricks. We went toe-to-toe with them.”

    Mexico’s sporting director Ricardo Pelaez – widely regarded as a key figure in Herrera’s success with El Tri and Club America – may not continue with the national team, he acknowledged in the same press conference.

    Mexico will have six friendlies to see out 2014, with director of national teams Hector Gonzalez Inarritu explaining that El Tri may play two of them in the United States and one of them in Amsterdam against the Netherlands.

    There was mayhem in Mexico City’s main airport as the team arrived back home, with reports that at least 1,000 fans waited inside to catch a glimpse of the national team stars. The players had to leave via a back exit due to security concerns.

  • Eagles to wear World Cup jersey against Mexico

    Eagles to wear World Cup jersey against Mexico

    Super Eagles will wear the specially designed World Cup kits in next Wednesday’s international friendly against Mexico.

    “There is uniqueness about the new jersey that Nigerians will love. The design is a top-of-the-range thing, especially for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014,” MTNFootball.com quoted Nigeria Football Federation general secretary, Musa Amadu, as saying on Wednesday.

    The NFF will unveil the new jersey at a ceremony in Abuja on Thursday.

    Super Eagles players Chigozie Agbim, midfielder Abdullahi Shehu and striker Ejike Uzoenyi will showcase the new kits at the occasion.

    The new and refreshing design is produced by Adidas, the official kit supplier of Nigeria national teams and the leading kit manufacturers in the world.

    Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi will be the special guest of honour at the event slated for the front area of the Sunday Dankaro Football House, Package B of the National Stadium Complex, Abuja, from 10am.

    Also invited are Director General of the National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeley; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, Adamu Gumba; Chairman of the House of Reps’ Committee on Sports, Godfrey Gaiya; Chairman of the League Management Company, Nduka Irabor; President-General of Nigeria Football Supporters Club, Rafiu Oladipo and other prominent football figures.

     

     

  • Mexico friendly: Keshi defends team list

    Mexico friendly: Keshi defends team list

    Super Eagles Head Coach Stephen Keshi has defended his recently released list of players proposed for the international friendly against the El Tri of México in the United States.

    Keshi revealed that he is planning for the future with the current set of newly invited players.

    “The players I have invited are the ones we are looking at in the next 4 -5 years as we are trying to build a team not just for tomorrow but for the future,” he said.

    “If we get any young player that is good, then we bring him in now so that he can start gaining valuable experience buy a lot of Nigerians do not want that, they want you to assemble a team now and win everything tomorrow but football doesn’t work like that.”

    Keshi urged Nigerians to be patient with the newly invited players will need time to blend together, gel, grow and be exposed.

  • Mexico friendly: Eagles regroup in three weeks

    Mexico friendly: Eagles regroup in three weeks

    Stephen Keshi, the Head Coach of the Super Eagles, says the national team comprising both foreign and home-based players will regroup for Nigeria’s international friendly against Mexico in three weeks’time.

    The Big Boss, who made this disclosure on Saturday, also took time to praise the CHAN Eagles for being able to interpret his instructions on the field of play.

    Keshi made the remark during the post-match news conference in Cape Town Stadium after the Super Eagles’ 1-0 win over the Warriors of Zimbabwe to place third in the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN).

    “I am so happy with the boys over these three weeks. I will call it so, they have grown in stature, and they are beginning to understand what I want and the mentality to express the game the way I want.

    “I am happy for that in spite of the fact that they wanted to play in the final and did not get there, but they still showed their mental strength against the Zimbabweans. The major goal for me in this tournament was to expose these players and see if I can draft a couple of them into my World Cup squad in five months’ time,’’ he said.

    On his immediate plans after the tournament in the build up to the World Cup, Keshi said that the main Eagles squad would regroup sometime in February for a friendly match.

    “In three weeks’ time we will have to regroup for a friendly match against Mexico, which will fall on a FIFA match day; apart from this arrangement any other development will be secondary.”

  • Eagles W/C squad to emerge after Mexico friendly

    Eagles W/C squad to emerge after Mexico friendly

    From Rasaq Oboirien in Cape Town

    SUPER Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has stated that he would use the international friendly game against Mexico in Atlanta, United States of America to get part of the team that would make it to the World Cup in June.

    When asked about his plan from here to Brazil, he said: “In three weeks time, we should be preparing for the game against Mexico in Atlanta in March. I think that’s the only FIFA free day we might have before the mundial kicks off, and any other game that comes after then is secondary.

    “So the game in Atlanta, I intend using to know the players that would make my World Cup team and also give others the opportunity to express themselves or match the standard I intend taking to Brazil. And thereafter, we would have a couple of weeks to rest for the professionals to finish their league and then join the team before we now then go back to Houston, Texas for camping.”

  • U-17 World Cup Final: Mark leads delegation to cheer Eaglets

    U-17 World Cup Final: Mark leads delegation to cheer Eaglets

    To cheer Eaglets to victory in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup final against Mexico tomorrow at the United Arab Emirates, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday constituted a delegation headed by the Senate President, Senator David Mark to represent the Federal Government.

    Other members of the delegation, according to a statement by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, include the Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji  Tanimu Turaki, the Minister of Labour, Chief Emeka Wogu, the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe and the Minister of State, FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide.

    The President charged the delegation to ensure that the Golden Eaglets receive all necessary support and motivation for victory.

    To this end, he told the delegation to reassure the Golden Eaglets and their handlers of his personal confidence and expectation that they will maintain their excellent track-record in this year’s Championship and crown their winning performances with another victory against the Mexicans tomorrow (today).

    He also conveyed to the Eaglets, through the delegation, the best wishes of all Nigerians for their victory and promised the team that together with all other patriotic Nigerians, within and outside the country, he will be cheering them on to victory during the match.

    He said he is looking forward to receiving them at the Presidential Villa and showing them the full appreciation of the nation when they return in triumph to Nigeria.

  • We’ll work on Eaglets’ weak points — Iraqi coach

    The head coach of the Iraqi team, Muwafaq Adlool Zaidan has stated that his players will work on the loopholes noticed in the Golden Eaglets’ team when they both slug it out in the Group F final match at the ongoing FIFA U17 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

    Muwafaq said this in a post-match press conference shortly after their 1-3 loss to Mexico at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain, yesterday.

    Iraq still have an outside chance of qualifying for the second round if they beat Nigeria in the last group match and this the coach has pointed out would be their motivation ahead of the clash.

    He labelled the Eaglets a bunch of talented, skillful individuals adding that with the right technique and strategy the team will are beatable.

    “Nigerians rely heavily on individual skills, so I think they have some weak points that we will try to work on. We have the willingness to develop Iraqi football and this team will develop to the standard we expect very soon.

    “We know we are at a disadvantage because we play with players lacking in football skills, but we hope to try our best against Nigeria to see if we could qualify for the next round,” Muwafaq said.

    Iraq have no point after two games and are last in the group standings with just a game left to remedy their continued stay in the competition.

    They are making their first appearance in the cadet championship.

  • ‘We had to work on our players’ confidence

    Mexico’s U-17 gaffer, Raul Gutierrez has admitted that he and his technical officials had to do a lot to lift the morale of his players after their heavy loss to the Golden Eaglets in the Group F opener last Saturday.

    The Nigeria representatives thrashed the reigning champions 6-1 at the Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain to send chills down the spines of other teams in the United Arab Emirates.

    But coach Gutierrez in a post-match interview noted that the serious confidence building discussion had a special effect on his boys, as they came all out against Iraq to put their second round qualification quest on track.

    “We had to do a lot of talking to our players after the loss to Nigeria. It was not good for our confidence and it was not the kind of result we expected as the defending champions of this competition.

    “We dug deep and I am happy that we achieved our objective which is getting the three points against Iraq.

    “We shall improve in our next game having overcome this defeat,” Gutierrez, who spoke through an interpreter explained.

    Mexico are third after getting their first win – a 3-1 victory over Iraq in Al Ain yesterday.

  • Mexico game is key — Abubakar

    Mexico game is key — Abubakar

    FIFA U-17 world cup

    • Coach Manu Garba must take risk
    • Mexico beat Argentine team in friendly

    Former Golden Eaglets Chief Coach, Hassan Abubakar has said the opening Group F game against Mexico is key for Nigeria’s progression in this year’s FIFA World U-17 championship in the UAE.

    Abubakar guided Nigeria to win silver in the 2001 edition of the cadet championship in Trinidad and Tobago where the Eaglets lost 3-0 to France at the final game.

    He said: “I think our draw is a bit fair, if you consider that of Group B that has the likes of Uruguay, New Zealand, Ivory Coast and Italy.

    “Just like we did in the opening game where the Eaglets defeated France in its opening game in Tobago, it would be a morale booster for the coach Manu Garba team if they win the game against Mexico.

    “The North-Americans will come into the game full of confidence as defending champions, and would want to prove a point that winning the trophy on home soil was no fluke. That I think should not scare our boys as they are as good as the Mexicans.

    “Garba, who’s not a novice in this championship must also take into consideration that the first and last 20 minutes of the game against the Mexicans is very important as he must urge his boys to go for the kill and endure to the tactics of their opponents.

    “The Eaglets too must not be too ambitious even as book makers have tipped them among the two favourites that should qualify them from the group, rather they must take the games one after the other.

    “They must also have it at the back of their minds that the FIFA U-17 is not a qualifier or African championship rather a tournament where the ultimate goal is to win the trophy at the finals.”

    Meanwhile, the Junior Tri-color in their training tour of Argentina on Tuesday defeated Rosario Central Cat 1-0.

    The lone goal was scored by Ivan Ochoa, who plays for Pachuca.

     

  • 2013 FIFA U-17 CHAMPIONSHIP Eaglets battle Mexico, Sweden

    2013 FIFA U-17 CHAMPIONSHIP Eaglets battle Mexico, Sweden

     •Iraq too

    NIGERIA’S Golden Eaglets have been handed a tough group after being drawn against defending champions, Mexico, Iraq and Sweden for the FIFA cadet youth championship in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E).

    The official draw conducted on Monday at the Hotel Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi saw the Manu Garba team pitched Nigeria in Group F.

    The development means CONCACAF champions Mexico will start the defence of the trophy they won two years ago in Mexico City in Al Ain, Dubai, against Nigeria on October 19.

    The Golden Eaglets have won the U-17 World title three times in 1995, 1993 and 2007.