Sports
Malawi Warns S’Eagles On World Cup Qualifier
The president of the Football Association of Malawi Walter Nyamilandu has warned Nigeria not to take the Flames lightly in 2014 World Cup qualifying.
The Super Eagles are overwhelming favourites to win Group F which also features Seychelles or Kenya and Djibouti or Namibia.
But Nyamilandu feels that Malawi are not short on experience and have the wherewithal to give the Nigerians a run for their money.
“Nigeria are the favourites in this group but we’re a team that cannot be underrated and taken for granted,” Nyamilandu said.
Nyamilandu added that the Flames made a statement a year ago when they qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Angola.
“There’s a football revolution in Malawi; we’re in a very good position now to qualify for Gabon and Equatorial Guinea next year.”
Although he spoke highly of the pedigree of the Super Eagles, Nyamilandu told Tidesports source that Samson Siasia’s team has a major weakness.
“It’s a very tricky group; we’re saying we have a very good chance of flexing our muscles if we plan everything very well.”
“Although Nigeria are favourites, their away record is very bad so we’re hoping they’ll flip along the way and help us top the group.”
Nyamilandu made it clear that the task of reaching Brazil in 2014 is not going to be easy but backed his Flames to create history.
“We’re also very ambitious and have set our sights on trying to go to the World Cup for the first time in the history of Malawi football.
“The first thing that we need to have is the belief and we have a lot of self-belief.
“We’ve played some tough teams in the past, and should be able to face Nigeria and take them head on.”
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.