NFA Tips S’Eagles To Lift Confed Cup

S’Eagles hattrick hero,Nnamdi Odumadi (20) scoring his first goal against Tahiti last Monday.

The Nigeria Football Association (NFA) yesterday expressed optimism that Super Eagles would excel at the ongoing FIFA Confederations Cup competition in Brazil.

A board member of the NFA, Ahmed Kawu, told newsmen in Abuja that the Super Eagles did not play well in the first match against Tahiti in spite of the 6-1 victory.

Kawu, however, said the team would up its game on Thursday against Uruguay.

“If we play Uruguay or Spain the way we played Tahiti, we will regret it. The Super Eagles did not play well against Tahiti but this is our time to shine.

“I am very confident that we will overcome Uruguay and Spain because of the commitment of the players.

“The players want to get new clubs abroad and their coaches want to make name for themselves,’’ Kawu said.

Kawu, who doubles as Chairman of the Nigeria Nationwide League, pointed out that not even the disagreement over players’ match bonus could distract the team from getting good results.

He said the Federal Government had waded into the matter to ensure that the team was focused to win the Confederations Cup trophy.

Emeka Inyama, another board member of the NFA said Nigeria was only passing a message to the World that it had talents, other than the victorious African Cup of Nations squad, that could shake the world.

He said Nigeria was destined for football glory this season, noting that the team must be focused if success was to be achieved.

Similarly, James Peters, the Assistant Technical Director of the NFA, told  our correspondent  that the Super Eagles performance against Tahiti was not convincing.

“Super Eagles display against Tahiti was not convincing; we expect better outing against Uruguay and Spain.

“I think the below average performance was because they were up against a smaller and less exposed team. Nonetheless, I tip the Eagles for final,’’ Peters said.

He maintained that Nigeria would shock both Uruguay and Spain, as the Super Eagles had defeated Spain in the past in a World Cup match.

Meanwhile, Soccer enthusiasts in Abuja have urged the Super Eagles of Nigeria to up their game at the ongoing 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Nigeria thrashed Tahiti 6-1 in their first Group B game of the cup competition, and Super Eagles will next face Uruguay on June 20 in their second group game.

Sanusi Mohammed, NFA’s director of competitions, congratulated the Super Eagles on the victory, but urged the players to keep the win aside and concentrate on the matches ahead.

“They should not think that they have arrived because the team they met today isn’t as strong as the teams they will meet later,’’ he said.

Mohammed said the Eagles must see the victory as a morale booster because they played the least difficult match of all the matches they have at the championship

“They should not be complacent about the win because the opposition today did not make the match a good test for them because, despite the result, they wasted a lot of chances,” Mohammed warned

Mansur Abdullahi, the FCT FA organizing committee secretary, said the team was improving gradually, adding: “That is a good step in a right direction

Meanwhile, a cross section of the fans in Abuja, who spoke to NAN expressed mixed feelings over the performance of the team.

Mr Suleiman Abubakar, a fan, commended the Eagles for a job well done, but insisted that the team must improve on its performances to enable them win their next match

He said expressed the need for the coach to change his style and approach in their match against Uruguay

Abubakar said this was necessary to ensure effective coordination among players and to encourage them to display their professional prowess.

Femi Babatunde, a football viewing centre operator, noted, with concern, the lack of team work among the players, a situation he said might affect their chances

“The players are playing individual game, no team work. They must understand themselves and work as one to enable them win against Uruguay,” he said.

Jerry Tsee, a civil servant, observed that the Eagles squandered many of scoring opportunities.

“I was particularly disappointed at Ahmed Musa,’’ he said.

“We would have been 10 goals up if Musa and Brown Ideye had taken their chances at goal.

“They were rather too selfish and always wanted to go for glory all by themselves.’’

Mr Emmanuel Okoye, a businessman, noted that the Nigeria-Uruguay game would be a different ball game.

“Nigeria’s game against Uruguay and Spain will be crucial for us bearing in mind that they will both be looking to get maximum points off Tahiti.

“Our next game is a must win if we hope to make it out of the group stage,” he said.

Mr Femi Ajayi, an engineer, said the team was extremely good, adding that without the likes of Victor Moses and Emenike they still performed brilliantly.

According to him, the standard of the team was not low because Tahiti is also a good team to have participated in the tournament, stating that Super Eagles should expect a tough match ahead.

He said even though Nigeria had built confidence for the next match, the team must work hard to maintain the speed of play otherwise they would be an underdog. 

“We will be the underdogs in our match against Spain if we do not prepare hard against the other strong teams. Even Uruguay is a big team for us, so we have yet to start.’’