2013 AFCON: NFF Expects Eagles To Win Title

The Nigeria Football Federation mandated Coach Stephen Keshi and his Super Eagles to win the 2013 African Nations Cup title in South Africa. That is the target for the coaches and players.

The Super Eagles are in a rebuilding phase, and a lot of the squad are making their tournament debut in South Africa, but the country’s football administrators are already piling on the pressure.

After an unconvincing 0-0 draw against minnows Cape Verde, Nigeria continued their preparation with a well-deserved 1-0 win over Dutch club FC Rotterdam on Saturday.

First Vice President of the NFF, Chief Mike Umeh said that they expect coach Stephen Keshi to “deliver”.

“There is a common parlance that says, ‘to whom much is given much is expected.’ My dream, and surely, I’m speaking the minds of my colleagues on the board, is to see Keshi and the Eagles bring home the trophy.

“It would not be enough to say I want to see them in the semi-final or final. There is no other way of measuring hard work than success. That means it’s the trophy or nothing.”

Nigeria missed out on the 2012 Afcon in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. They are drawn in Group C with Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia, and play their first match against Burkina Faso on January 21

Super Eagles’ Victor Moses (11) flying over a Liberiaan opponent during qualifier for the 2013 AFCON, in Calabar.