NFF Okays Super Eagles For US Invitational Tournament

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in Abuja announced the participation of the Super Eagles in an eight–nation invitational tournament in the U.S. in February 2011.

Dr Sanusi Mohammed, NFF’s Assistant General Secretary (Competitions), told newsmen that the tournament tagged “2011 Green Soccer Bowl Tournament’’ will hold from February 12 to February  20.

The competition is being organised by the U.S. Presidents’ Day Celebration Soccer Invitational Tournament Foundation.

“The tournament will involve teams from the African, European and Asian continents and Nigeria has been drawn in Group A with Poland, Malaysia and Iraq.

“The organisers have been in touch with us for some months now and they are requesting for either our team A or B.

“But, we feel it is a good avenue to expose the locally–based players and an opportunity for the players to show what they can do.

“Therefore it is a worthwhile invitational tournament,’’ Mohammed said.

Our correspondent reports that three teams from Africa, two from Europe and three from Asia will participate in the competition, with Group B having African champions Egypt, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kenya and Bahrain.

The tournament will be staged at the Ford Field Stadium in Detroit, Michigan State and the PHP Stadium in Dallas, Texas State.

Mohammed listed the tournament’s benefits to the participating teams to include the opportunity to try and develop players from their local leagues in an international match.

“This is a good benefit, instead of relying on players playing professionally abroad all the time,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Mano Menezes, a specialist in leading big clubs out of the doldrums but little-known outside his own country, became the coach of Brazil on Saturday when he accepted an offer from the five-times world champions.

The 48-year-old, currently coach of Corinthians, confirmed he had said yes to the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), which had been turned down by Muricy Ramalho the day before after his club refused to release him.

“For the whole of Brazil, I say that I officially accept the invitation,” Menezes told a newsmen at a conference.

Menezes, who replaces Dunga in the hot seat, will have the huge task of trying to rebuild Brazil’s national team.

The team had been discredited after their quarter-final World Cup exit against Netherlands three weeks ago, and win a sixth world title when they host the 2014 World Cup.

Winning their own World Cup is seen as an obligation by Brazil’s 190 million inhabitants.

With Brazil’s failure to win on home soil in 1950 still being mentioned regularly, the pressure on Menezes and his team will be greater than ever.

Menezes, 48, made his name in 2005 when he led former South American champions Gremio out of the second division.

In an extraordinary decisive game, Gremio had four players sent off, survived a penalty miss by opponents Nautico and then snatched a goal to win 1-0 and clinch promotion.

Two years later, he took them to the final of the Libertadores Cup, the South American equivalent of the Champions League.

He then joined Corinthians, another hugely popular team, and led them out of the second division in 2008.

Since then, his side have won the Copa Brasil and signed former Brazil World Cup winners Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos.