Sports
Oliseh Laments Enyeama’s Late Withdrawal From Tanzania Tie
Super Eagles’ Head Coach
Sunday Oliseh on Wednesday lamented the late withdrawal of the team’s first choice goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, from tomorrow’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.
Enyeama’s withdrawal from the game against Tanzania has presented Carl Ikeme and Ikechukwu Ezenwa as the only options for Oliseh.
The match, a Group G Match Day 2 fixture, is scheduled to take place in Dar es Salaam.
Oliseh told newsmen at the team’s weekly interactive session with the media that Enyeama’s late withdrawal had put the team in a precarious and complicated situation.
“The player himself withdrew for reasons I don’t know but what I can’t say on this is that the late withdrawal has put me in a very tight situation, I must confess.
“I made it clear from the onset that the task ahead of us is very difficult because we are practically starting afresh.
“With all due respect Enyeama is a good goalkeeper, but this development is not a pleasant one. However, we have to forge ahead because there is nothing I can do,’’ he said.
Oliseh said however that the development had shown that believing so much in a player would not augur well for the team.
He said this was why he had since resolved not to build the team around one individual.
The coach pointed out that his philosophy had been centred on teamwork.
“What happens if our best player falls sick a night before our match. Should Nigeria withdraw from the encounter?
“It is also not a sign of respect to my other players, to say because one person is not playing the team will fumble.
“We have to respect the choice of the player if he withdraws himself,’’ he said.
The Eagles coach also insisted that the situation did not mean that he was under any pressure to win in Tanzania, saying the match was not a do-or-die.
“The only time in my life that I was under pressure was 20 minutes before our match with Bulgaria at the 1994 World Cup. Ever since then, I have learnt that pressure is what you live with.
“There are three things that can happen in a game. We can win, draw or lose. But, we are building now and everybody can see that. But I am very optimistic.
“I am not looking at what happens if we lose, win or whatever. I want to see my team play to serve Nigeria and whatever the result is, we will take it like that.
“However, our objective is to qualify, and we still have games to play. Even if we win on Saturday, the journey is just starting,’’ he said.
Oliseh nonetheless expressed the optimism that Tanzania would fall in Dar es Salaam even with his little knowledge of the team.
The former Eagles captain said the video clips of the Tanzanian team’s matches, which he obtained from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), had enough to help his team achieve victory.
He, however, noted that coaching the Super Eagles would be a difficult task with the level of criticisms and analyses Nigerians provide before and after every match the team played.
The Super Eagles, comprising of 17 foreign-based and six home-based players departed Abuja yesterday for Tanzania for the encounter in a chartered flight.
Nigeria and Egypt are currently topping Group G of the qualifiers, having both secured the maximum three points from their first group matches.
Egypt are however better placed, with a superior goal margin, having defeated Tanzania 3-0 in their first encounter, while Nigeria secured a 2-0 win over Chad.
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.