The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Oliha

  • Ex-Super Eagles star Oliha is dead

    Ex-Super Eagles star Oliha is dead

    Former Super Eagles midfielder, Thompson Oliha is dead.

    He died on Sunday morning and his remains had been deposited at the mortuary.

    Reports said the former Flying Eagles midfielder complained of malaria and was taken to an undisclosed hospital in Ilorin, Kwara State, where he gave up the ghost.

    Oliha was a key member of Nigeria’s 1994 African Nations Cup winning squad in Tunisia.

    He also played in the 1994 World Cup in United States with the Super Eagles.

    He was a second half substitute in Nigeria’s round of 16 clash with Italy at the tournament, a match Super Eagles lost 2-1 to exit the competition.

    Until his death, Oliha was one of the coaches at the Kwara State Football Academy in Ilorin.

     

  • Eagles should be ready to play for 90 minutes – Oliha

    Eagles should be ready to play for 90 minutes – Oliha

    Says Kenyans ready to torment Nigeria

     

    Former Nigeria international, Thompson Oliha has charged Super Eagles not to lower their guards for the entire duration of the 90 minutes of their 2014 World Cup qualifier against the Harambee Stars today.

    Oliha in a chat with SportingLife noted that although,the Kenyans would have the weather and their vociferous fans in their favour, the one-time Iwuanyanwu Nationale midfielder however beckoned on Nigeria’s representatives not to be intimidated.

    “The game against Kenya will no doubt be tough but if the Eagles do not relax irrespective of the hostile environment they could get their desired result.

    “We are not known for giving up easily. We are the current African champions and this we must show against the Harambee Stars so as to preserve our unbeaten run against them.

    “The Kenyans will be bouyed by their home supporters and the weather and with their nature they will be ready to run at us for the entire 90 minutes. We must be ready for them,” Oliha admonished.

    On the unavailability of some Kenyan national team regulars, Oliha implored the Eagles to concentrate solely on the East African country as a team and not on the players that are in the team or not in the team.

    He expressed optimism that Nigeria would leave Kasarani without any defeat.

    The Eagles are in first place with 5 points from 3 games and an expected victory in Kasarani’s Moi International Sports Complex will put Nigeria further in the driver’s seat ahead of the June 12 tie in Windhoek against Namibia.

  • Oliha: Eagles must be focused in World Cup qualifiers

    Oliha: Eagles must be focused in World Cup qualifiers

    Ex-international, Thompson Oliha, in Lagos on Thursday charged the Super Eagles to be focused in their bid to qualify the country for the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

    Oliha told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the players should take nothing for granted in their upcoming qualifiers against the Harambee Stars of Kenya and the Brave Warriors of Namibia. He stressed that the Eagles must tackle the June 5 showdown, with all seriousness to improve its position on the standings.

    “I believe that the Eagles have what it takes to perform well in Nairobi; they need to remain steadfast in their quest for success, and channeling their energy toward ensuring this. They need to play as a team, they need to play more cohesively and listen to their coach’s instructions, I believe in the technical crew of the team,” Oliha said.

    The former Iwuanyanwu FC of Owerri and Africa Sports FC of Abidjan midfielder noted that the fitness level of the players would play a critical role.

    “I want them to work on their fitness and confidence too, they should show confidence no matter what, for them to move further,” he said.

    Oliha, a member of the victorious Super Eagles squad that won the 1994 edition of the AFCON in Tunisia, predicted that the friendly encounter between Nigeria and Mexico would end in a draw.

    “I know the match is crucial for our build-up to the qualifiers, but we should not allow the result of the match whatever it may be to dampen our spirit. We may likely get a draw. Mexico is equally a good side they play like the Brazilians, I wish them well in their preparation for the World Cup,” he added.

    It will be recalled that the Super Eagles and the Harambee Stars had battled to a 1-1 draw, in the first leg of the qualifiers in March.

    The Eagles will need to win the reverse fixture of the qualifiers, to boost its chances of qualifying for the Brazil 2014 World Cup.

  • Oliha raps Eagles’ defence

    Oliha raps Eagles’ defence

    • Says Yobo should be drafted to right full back 

    Former Super Eagles midfielder Thompson Oliha has singled out the senior national team’s defence for the sole reason the nation failed to pick maximum points against the Stallions of Burkina Faso in the Group C encounter of the 2013 African Cup of Nations played on Monday night.

    Oliha, a member of the 1994 Eagles that dazzled the continent to Nigeria’s second conquest in the Nations Cup at the 19th edition in Tunisia, opined that the defence marshalled by captain Joseph Yobo was the country’s Achilles heel against the Burkinabes.

    He added that the country’s representatives also suffered from loss of concentration which, he enthused, was unheard of in games of such magnitude and at such a time in the match.

    Oliha warns that for Nigeria to survive the onslaught of the defending champions, Zambia’s Copper Bullets, the Eagles captain should be replaced in his preferred central defence with another better player while Yobo be moved to the right full-back position because of his experience.

    Currently one of the coaches in the Kwara Football Academy of Excellence, Oliha said the Stephen Keshi-led Eagles’ technical crew should tutor and lift the spirits of the players ahead of their must-win match against Zambia.

    A furious Oliha disclosed: “Nigeria had no defence against Burkina Faso. For me, Yobo had a bad day and should be replaced in our next game from the central defence position if we want to get anything out of that match.

    “We also suffered from loss of concentration and we paid dearly for it so late in the match when we were already celebrating a win. It was that bad.

    “Keshi and his other aides in the technical crew should be able to fashion out a winning formula and strive to lift the spirits of the players. This will make them come all out against Zambia and get the needed victory. At this stage of our game we should not be having problems with countries like Burkina Faso, and the fact that we struggled against them showed the level to which our game has gone down against so called minnows on the continent,” the one-time Eagles star concluded.