Sports
Why Nigeria Can’t Talk Tough On W/Cup Qualifiers
Even at the peak of their
powers Nigeria’s Super Eagles would have had to be very much apprehensive of their chances of topping a World Cup ‘Group of Death’ that has Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia.
And now without a permanent coach, a directionless and broke Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as well as public confidence in the team at an all-time low, the signs are even more disturbing that the Eagles will fail to qualify for Russia 2018.
Algeria has for some time now been ranked as Africa’s No 1 team and for good reason too, while Cameroon has proved that despite their internal problems, they know how to qualify for the World Cup having done so on nine occasions.
Surprise African champions in 2012, Zambia may no longer be the force they were a few years ago, but the results the other teams in this group record against them could well determine the team on the flight to Russia in 2018.
It was not luck or that Nigeria accidentally found themselves in the toughest qualifying group for the 2018 World Cup, but the failure to qualify for two straight AFCONs sealed the country’s fate.
So, while Egypt were battling Tunisia to get into Pot 1 of the seedings for the qualifying tournament draw, the Eagles already knew their chances of making it to a sixth World Cup had already been hugely compromised by their FIFA ranking.
Brave players and officials have won my admiration for their tough talk soon after the draw, but we all know that football matches are not won on the pages of the newspapers or in the airwaves.
Self delusion and deception only leads to only one thing – FAILURE.
It is what you do on the pitch after all the painstaking preparations outside it that will count on the day, tough talk and brave faces notwithstanding.
One could safely say that for this year, Nigeria has two “manageable” qualifiers – away to Zambia on October 3 and at home to Algeria on November 7 – before the tournament restarts in August 2017 with a home game versus Cameroon.
To stand any chance of qualifying for the next World Cup, both games against Zambia and Algeria are must-win.
And so the build-up for these two games will be first the Rio Olympics in August as well as the final AFCON 2017 qualifier at home against Tanzania.
Nigeria Olympic coach Samson Siasia has listed as many as 19 full internationals on his provisional squad for the summer games and that should be the core of the team for the matches against Zambia and Algeria.
The AFCON qualifier at home to Tanzania in September has now assumed a greater importance as this will serve as the final warm-up before the trip to Zambia the following month.
This match can no longer be played by players from the domestic league as the Eagles will use it to get ready for the clash against The Chipolopolos.
In previous qualifying campaigns, Nigeria has banked on a perfect home record added to a couple of away results to go through, more like Kano Pillars in the league.
But this can no longer be the case as teams have been known to come and get a result in Nigeria these days – For the 2015 AFCON qualifiers, Congo Brazzaville beat Eagles 3-2 in Calabar before South Africa achieved a 2-2 draw in Uyo, while Nigeria failed to beat Egypt in Kaduna before they lost to the Pharaohs to exit the 2017 AFCON.
Then comes the vexed issue of who should coach the Eagles.
Pinnick has made it abundantly clear that Nigeria football salvation is in the hands of a foreign coach, but he also knows he will have to get the cash to pay for such a coach.
Indications still point to Frenchman Paul Le Guen, who has previously worked with Cameroon, as the man the NFF will soon appoint for the top Eagles post.
But is the Frenchman the most suitable man for the job and how do his employers hope to bankroll his contract even if it were just for the qualifiers?
One only hopes that the $1.5m touted to have been made available by an unknown sponsor would not develop into another ‘tale by moonlight.’
The NFF executives were voted to take the best decisions on behalf of a country of 180 million fans and should they fail again in the discharge of this mandate, they ought to take the honourable path of resigning without being told, and not just tell us they have taken responsibility and then fall short of doing the needful.
Audu writes for African football.com
Samm Audu
Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits higher among nations that failed to qualify for the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.
“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see a top team like Nigeria there because they’ve got some great individuals. They’re a great nation,” Terry said during a virtual roundtable session organised by SuperSport.
“I think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain,” the former England captain added.
Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification. Nigeria kept their hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon before falling to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the decisive playoff final — their second successive absence from the World Cup after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.
Despite missing the World Cup, the Super Eagles remain Africa’s 3rd highest-ranked team behind Morocco, who sit seventh in the world, and Senegal. Algeria and Egypt complete the continent’s top five.
Defending champions Argentina enter the tournament as the world’s top-ranked side, ahead of Spain, France, England and Portugal. Brazil are sixth, followed by Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
The next FIFA World Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.
Chima Akachukwu and Miracle Akhigbe are among the 16 notable stars picked by the Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF) for the forthcoming Namibia Tour, where the YellowGreens will compete in a T20 and 50-Over Tri-Series, featuring hosts Namibia and Hong Kong China.
Both players make their way back into the YellowGreens fold after periods away from the side and will be eager to contribute their experience and quality as Nigeria pursues success in Namibia.
The NCF said yesterday that the squad, which departs Nigeria today, forms part of the national team’s continued preparations for future international assignments as the YellowGreens seek to build on recent performances and strengthen their standing on the global stage.
Leading the squad is Captain Sulaimon Runsewe, who will spearhead Nigeria’s campaign against two formidable opponents in what promises to be a highly competitive series.
The selected squad combines experienced internationals with emerging talents, providing the technical crew an opportunity to assess player development and team combinations in both the T20 and 50-over formats.
The team will be led on tour by Coaches Leke Oyede and Tamuno John, who will oversee preparations and match operations during the opening phase of the series.
Joining the squad later in Namibia will be the newly appointed Head Coach and High Performance Manager, Stephen Magongo, whose arrival marks another significant step in the Federation’s commitment to strengthening the national team structure and enhancing player development pathways.
Supporting the coaching staff are Team Analyst Jamal Okechukwu, Strength and Conditioning Coach Seye Olympio, and Team Physiotherapist Timothy Adesomowo, forming a well-rounded technical crew focused on maximising player performance and welfare throughout the tour.
The NCF views the Namibia Tri-Series as an important platform for the continued growth of the national team, offering valuable international exposure and competitive match experience against quality opposition. The series will provide the players and technical crew with another opportunity to evaluate progress, fine-tune strategies, and build momentum ahead of future international competitions.
The YellowGreens will face Namibia and Hong Kong China in both T20 and 50-over contests, with the matches expected to test the team’s adaptability, discipline, and resilience in challenging conditions.
Blessing Otu on Monday overcame hard-fighting Kelvin Bebe- Emmanuella in two sets of 6-1, 6-3 to qualify for the second round of the women’s singles of the ongoing 47th Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Championship, held at the Tennis Courts of the package “B” of the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Speaking after the round of 32 game, Otu, who will be 19 years old in September, said she capitalised on her opponent’s weaknesses to gain victory, having studied her game very well.
“Bebe is a very good and tough player. But I studied her game and did the job well.
“Although she tried to come back in the second set, I punctured all her tricks to win the match and move on. I wish I could continue like this in the rest of my games,” she said.
Another member of the Otu family, John Out, was also victorious as he defeated Mohammed Abdusalam 2-1 (6-2, 6-7, 6-1) in the men’s singles category to advance into the round of 32.
But the third Otu in the game, Thomas, was not that lucky as he lost by 6-0, 7-5 in two straight sets to Danjuma Isaac.
In other matches, Michael Emmanuel defeated Ibrahim Aminu to advance, while Drimiya Mevi outclassed Seyi Ogunsakin by beating him 2-1 (6-7, 6-3, 6-1). Action continues tomorrow when other top players, including the men’s singles top seed, Abua Cannice, join the chase for honours.