Sports
Nigeria Empathises With Togo
The Nigeria Football Federation at the weekend expressed sympathy with the Togo Football Federation over the shooting incident on the team bus that left the driver dead and eight persons injured.
Rebels attacked the Togo contingent bus at the Angolan border as they travelled by road from Point Noire in Congo to their Group B base in Cabinda.
“Our hearts are with the Togolese contingent at this moment and we pray that the Almighty Allah will heal those who are injured. This is a very sad occurrence,” said NFF, President Sani Lulu Abdullahi, who flew with the Nigeria contingent into Benguela hours after the incident.
Officials of the Local Organizing Committee have already stated that the Togo team was not expected to travel by road. But NFF President Lulu Abdullahi said that was not important for now.
“What is important is for the entire football world to rise to the side of the Togo team and pray for quick recovery for those injured. It is very sad that the driver has died, and we sympathise with his family.
“The Nigeria Football Federation has already reached out to the LOC on the need for greater security around the participating teams.”
The shooting incident, which affected three players, is the first in the 53-year history of the African Cup of Nations.
The Super Eagles landed in Benguela on Thursday night and trained at a field close to their Hotel Praia Morena Saturday morning.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.