Sports
Milutinovic Bullish Over Eagles’ Chances
Nigeria may be the least ranked team in FIFA World Cup Group D, but Bora Milutinovic feels the three-time African champions have a great chance of qualifying.
Making their sixth appearance at the quadrennial football showpiece, Gernot Rohr’s men must bypass Argentina, Iceland and Croatia in the ‘Group of Death’ to reach the knockout stages.
Milutinovic at different times managed the Super Eagles, Mexico and Costa Rica and when quizzed about how his former teams would fare in Russia, the 73-old-year old claims that the Africans had the best chance of progression.
“It’s easy to talk about it, but there will be truth in the field and it may be different,” Milutinovic told our source.
“There is Mexico, which is a team of qualities, and certainly has chances to pass. It will be played on small things. Compared to the calendar, they are not really advantaged.
“They play their first match against Germany. It is a difficult group, especially since there is Sweden, whose style of play is totally different.”
“Regarding Costa Rica, they fell in the group of Serbia. And I am Serbian and I, therefore, remain above all to support my country,” he laughed.
“In any case, their task will be complicated because they are with Brazil. And there is also with them the Switzerland of Vladimir Petkovic, who is also from the Yugoslav school.
“Finally, you have Nigeria, which will play in the group of Argentina, Croatia and Iceland. I think that of my three former teams, this is the one that has the best chance of advancing.”
Milutinovic led Nigeria to the 1998 World Cup in France where they bowed out to Denmark in the Round of 16.
Rohr’s men begin their quest for glory when they take on Croatia in their opening game tomorrow.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
-
Featured1 day agoWASSCE: RSG Distributes Science Materials To Secondary Schools
-
News1 day ago
Xenophobic Attacks: Nigerian Lives More Important Than Foreign Investment – Oshiomhole
-
Rivers1 day ago
MBA Forex Trial Adjourn To June 3, Amid Bereavement … As Court Declines Cost Application
-
News1 day ago
ActionAid Demands Probe Of Govs Using Public Funds For Campaign
-
Aviation1 day ago
Passengers Stranded As Delta Airline From Atlanta Route Back Eight Hours After
-
Business1 day ago
Customs Impound N2.35bn Cocaine, 15 Trailers of Rice
-
Politics1 day ago
2027: Bayelsa Senator Gets Critical Endorsement For Second Term
-
Politics1 day agoINEC Sets Rivers South-East Senatorial By-Election For June 20