Nigeria’s Defeat, Warning To Africa – Coach Harouna

Coach Doula Harouna of Niger Republic has said that his team’s victory over Nigeria was a message that the country had come of age in African football

The Nigerian side won on 2-0 aggregate to bundle the home-based Super Eagles out of the qualifiers for the second edition of the African Nations Championship.

The Nigerian side, known as the ‘Menas’, forced Eagles to a goalless draw in the second leg match at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano last Sunday, after the first leg in Niamey two weeks ago which ended 2-0 in their favour.

Harouna, who spoke in Hausa with newsmen, said his team’s win had nothing to do with whether the Nigerian side was good or not.

“You cannot take anything away from us. We have a good team, and this is a warning to all in Africa that we cannot be pushed aside anymore,” he said.

Harouna, who was lifted high by his players at the end of the match, said his team was full of quality players who were ready to learn.

“I think we won because of the quality of our players as well as their willingness and determination to learn.

“It is a young team, with the players working for each other and ready to die for the team.

“That was why we were able to win well in the first leg and this draw here (in Kano) only underlined our superiority,” he said.

The competition was introduced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in 2009 for Africa-based players.

The ouster of the home-based Super Eagles Team B is the second in as many qualifiers.

The team, then led by Coach Okey Emordi, had lost to Ghana in the same first round of the qualifiers for the 2009 edition of the competition.

The ongoing qualifiers is for the 2011 Edition of the competition scheduled for Sudan.