The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Super Eagles

  • World Cup 2014: Adamu warns Eagles not to underrate opponents

    World Cup 2014: Adamu warns Eagles not to underrate opponents

    Amos Adamu, a former Director-General, National Sports Commission (NSC), on Tuesday said that the Super Eagles must be wary of their 2014 World Cup opponents.

    Adamu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that there were no longer minnows in football as all the teams had the potential to win the cup.

    NAN reports that the Eagles will play in Group F of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, alongside Argentina, Iran and Bosnia- Herzegovina.

    “How I wish they win the World Cup. One fundamental thing we mustn’t underestimate is that all the teams that qualified for the World Cup are potential winners.

    “So we don’t have to start looking down on a country and feel that they are not threats to us. Every team emerges from a competition.

    “So no team in Brazil is a cheap party. But I think we are at our best now and with a little bit of good luck, we’ll thrive,” Adamu said.

    He noted that there was need for the team’s technical crew to give other players a chance, adding that it would help strengthen the team.

    “The team is good and has been consistent but we can’t rule out the fact that the team needs to be strengthened in some departments.

    “Therefore, I think it would be important to recall some players who appear to be doing well in their clubs at the moment,” he said.

    NAN reports that Nigeria would play its first match in the group stage against Iran, its second against Bosnia and the last one against Argentina.

    Soccer pundits had expressed the belief that Nigeria and Argentina would likely qualify from the group but, however, warned the Eagles of complacency or overconfidence.

  • Two local friendlies for Eagles this week

    Two local friendlies for Eagles this week

    The home-based Super Eagles will play two more friendly matches this week on Wednesday and Saturday as preparation for the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) gathers momentum.

    The team led by coach Stephen Keshi defeated Nigerian Prisons, Abuja 4-1 last weekend in a friendly encounter and they have since started training twice per day in a bid to get to the competition slated for South Africa as fit as a fiddle.

    A top official of the team who also doubles as the Media Officer, Ben Alaiya told SportingLife that the identities of the two Nigerian clubs that would face the Eagles have not been made public. But he confirmed that there were two friendly matches already fixed for midweek and Saturday in Abuja.

    He confirmed that the Eagles were in good shape and had been training without any injury worries since the camp opened some days back.

    The CHAN will start on January 11, 2014 in South Africa and Nigeria will play in Group A alongside South Africa, Mozambique and Mali. It is the Eagles’ debut appearance in the CHAN which is in its third edition.

  • Super Eagles won’t win CHAN – Babayaro

    Super Eagles won’t win CHAN – Babayaro

    Former international Emmanuel Babayaro has predicted that the home-based Super Eagles will not win the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) starting in January.

    In a chat with goal.com, the Atlanta ’96 Olympic gold medalist explained that the team lacks the exposure and quality to rival the likes of hosts South Africa, Ghana and others.

    “I doubt that [Nigeria can win the title] and I think the reason is simple. In terms of local content, other countries have improved on their league than we have,” Babayaro told goal.com.

    “If you take a look at the Africa Cup of Nations, about 75 percent of players from other countries were their home based players while we paraded majorly our international stars.”

    “Although some of our local lads have got a little experience playing with their foreign counterparts, I really doubt if we will win it and if we do, it will be attributed to the current team spirit and good luck trailing the main national team,” he said.

     

     

  • CHAN: Keshi laments exit of Oboabona, others

    CHAN: Keshi laments exit of Oboabona, others

    Nigeria coach, Stephen Keshi, has said it will be a big task to raise a formidable squad for the CHAN after several players moved overseas.

    Keshi said he and his technical staff will now have to work harder to get a good team in three weeks for the competition, which kicks off on January 11.

    “We need to do a lot of work on the team. Most of them have gone, we have to get the team to go to South Africa and do well in three weeks. We must be ready. It is a big problem, but we must prepare well and be ready,” MTNFootball.com quoted Keshi as saying on a radio programme.

    The home-based Eagles had lost the services of the likes of Godfrey Oboabona (Rizespor, Turkey), Izu Azuka (Kahranmanmaspor, Turkey), Alhaji Gero (Sweden), Gomo Onduku (Romania), Tony Okpotu (Libya) and Chibuzor Okonkwo (Libya) among others.

    Meanwhile, the Nigeria Football Federation General Secretary, Musa Amadu, has disclosed the team for the CHAN will not take a break for the Christmas.

    The team is likely to train in South Africa for at least 10 days before playing Mali in the opening group game on January 11.

    Hosts South Africa and Mozambique are the other teams in Nigeria’s first round group.

     

  • World Cup: Oliseh tips Eagles for second round

    World Cup: Oliseh tips Eagles for second round

    Former Nigeria captain, Sunday Oliseh, is confident that the African champions will qualify for the round of 16 when the FIFA World Cup begins in Brazil next year.

    Oliseh said he is “ecstatic” like his countrymen following Friday’s World Cup draw in Bahia, Brazil that pitched the Super Eagles in Group F alongside Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran.

    The member of the FIFA Technical Study Group took time to talk on Nigeria’s opponents ahead of next year’s World Cup.

    “The Nigerians are ecstatic, myself included, because we have Iran in the group – with all due respect to them I think we should be able to negotiate this encounter.

    “We’ve also got the Bosnians, who are playing for the first time in the World Cup finals as a nation. Our chances are pretty bright and it’s looking interesting,” supersport.com quoted Oliseh as saying on CNN.

    The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder also spoke on the prospect of the Super Eagles coming up against Lionel Messi.

    He also reeled out the qualities of the FC Barcelona talisman.

    “Messi is one of the best to have ever played football. He can do everything except head the ball. The question is how do you stop him?

    “You can’t really if he’s on a good day. What we need to worry about is Messi going to be healthy come 2014? If he is healthy, we have a problem. But we have nothing to fear – for the first time in a long time we feel we have nothing to lose,” said the 39-year-old ex-Nigerian midfielder while analysing the World Cup draw.

    Oliseh then warned that all the 32 nations know “what is at stake” at the Mundial and believes it is not time to start celebrating or despairing over favourable or unfavourable draw.

     

     

  • Lukman Haruna resumes training

    Lukman Haruna resumes training

    Nigeria international Lukman Haruna has returned to training after a muscle injury.

    The Dynamo Kiev player said he is looking good and will be fully fit before the Ukrainian league resumes after the holiday break.

    “The injury was not as serious as first feared. It was just a tear, but I must give kudos to the doctors for a thorough job. I don’t have any surgery and I am very much better,” Haruna told MTNFootball.com

    “I returned to training on Wednesday and I hope to be better.

    “The break will enable to get more time to recover and return to my best, I wish to continue in my form when league resumes next year and I will be ready to give my best again.”

    He also expressed his readiness to fight for a place in Super Eagles squad for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

    “I am ready to play for my country and I will gladly honour the invitation to fight for a shirt in the Eagles if I am called,” he said.

     

     

  • NFF seeks World Cup base for Eagles

    NFF seeks World Cup base for Eagles

    Nigeria Football Federation officials are working on a plan for the African football champions to train in Colombia, Argentina or the United States for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

    “We plan to camp the team in Colombia, Argentina or the United States of America,” supersport.com quoted Chris Green, the head of the NFF technical committee, as saying on Wednesday.

    “These countries share the same climatic conditions with Brazil. We will be inspecting many camp sites to finally decide where to camp the team.”

    Brazil 2014 will be Nigeria’s fifth World Cup appearance after debuting at the 1994 tournament in the U.S.

    The NFF is waiting for the outcome of Friday’s World Cup finals draw before deciding on the base.

     

  • World Cup: Nigeria shouldn’t expect easy draw – Echiejile

    World Cup: Nigeria shouldn’t expect easy draw – Echiejile

    Super Eagles defender, Elderson Echiejile, has warned that Nigeria should not expect an easy 2014 World Cup draw on Friday.

    The 32 World Cup finalists will know their first round opponents at the draw in Brazil from 4pm Nigerian time and Sporting Braga star Elderson said Nigeria will most likely to get a tough group because of the quality of teams going to Brazil 2014.

    Elderson told MTNFootball.com: “We should not expect the best draw because there are a lot of great teams going to the World Cup, we would just wait to see what happens on Friday.

    “Whatever team we would be paired against in the draw would be a difficult team because they all went through the qualifiers before getting there, so they would be tough to play against.”

    However, Elderson maintained that as African champions the Super Eagles will be in Brazil to compete and not to complete the numbers.

    “As African champions, I can confidently say we have a good team right now. We have more confidence as a team and that is what I think is going for us right now and that would really help us at the World Cup,” reasoned the ex-Flying Eagles defender, who made his World Cup debut in South Africa three years ago.

    Nigeria last went past the group stage in 1998, but the Portugal-based star said he expects the Eagles to make an impact in Brazil.

    “You know football is not predictable. And you know in football a lot of changes come in. But personally, I believe so much in this team to shock the world in Brazil. I know we would pull a lot of surprises in Brazil,” he predicted.

     

  • Minister plays down Nigeria football success

    Minister plays down Nigeria football success

    Despite winning the African Nations Cup in South Africa and the FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates in the outgoing year, the Nigerian Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, has rated the game four out 10 this year.

    The Super Eagles also qualified for a fifth World Cup in the outgoing year, and the country’s team of domestic league players would play in the Championship of African Nations (CHAN) for the first time.

    However, Abdullahi has maintained that even though the country has done well in football in the outgoing year, there was still a long way to go to take the sport to its best height.

    “For me, I thank God Almighty that we try to do our best and God is helping us achieve results. But for me, we need to do a lot more than we are doing,” MTNFootball.com quoted the minister as saying on Tuesday.

    “And I’m the first one to tell you that in a scale of one to 10, 10 being where we should be, where are we today? I would say four.

    “Yes! We won the AFCON, the U-17 World Cup, yes, very good, but until we are able to build a system that ensures that regardless of who is in the office, we can confidently say we will win or we can win, then we have not reached where we are supposed to be.”

     

  • 2013 WORLD AIDS DAY: Team Eagles wallop Team Entertainment 6-0

    2013 WORLD AIDS DAY: Team Eagles wallop Team Entertainment 6-0

    SUPER Eagles assistant coach, Daniel Amokachi has appealed to Nigerians not to stigmatise persons living with HIV/AIDS.

    ‘The Bull’ made the passionate plea after leading other Eagles stars of Celestine Babayaro, Ifeanyi Udeze, Justice Christopher, Teslim Fatusi, Jonathan Apoborie among others in a novelty game that saw Team Eagles wallop a selected Nollywood and Nigerian hip-hop stars (Team Entertainment) 6-0 to mark this year’s World AIDS Day .

    According to Amokachi: “It’s an honour to be part of this novelty match and to help create awareness that HIV/AIDS is real. Aside creating the awareness, I feel stigmatisation is one of the major problem in the global fight against the virus.

    “I know how it feels to be stigmatised by people who know one is living with the virus, as they would want to push the person away from the society. So, I’m apealing to Nigerians to stop such act but know that it’s not the end of the world for people living with HIV/AIDS that they too have the right to live a normal life.

    “Nonetheless, that an uninfected person can’t get the virus by relating, sleep on the same bed, hugging, playing, and even eating from the same plates with people living with HIV/AIDS. So we owe them a duty by showing them and care.”

    Mr. Clem Ugorji, Public Affairs and Communications Manager, Coca-Cola Nigeria also appealed to Nigerians to stop stigmatise persons living with the viru.

    “The responsibility to eradicate the HIV/AIDS pandemic and stigmatisation is a collective one. That is why we are partnering with Friends Africa and other corporate bodies using this potent platform that football provides,” he said.

    “At Coca-Cola, we remain committed to preaching the message of living positively, not just with the virus, but in everything we do.”