Sports
‘Super Eagles’ll Subdue Kenya In Nairobi’
Despite threats that the Super Eagles of Nigeria will see ‘hell’ when they visit Nairobi for the second leg of the Group F African qualifier for Brazil 2014 World Cup, the President of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Malam Aminu Maigari has declared that Nigeria will overcome Kenya in the return leg.
The Harambee Stars of Kenya were forced to a 1-1 draw by the Super Eagles in Calabar at the weekend and the Kenyans said they were robbed of victory by the amount of added time played by the referee.
But Maigari has said that the Kenyans would see the true Super Eagles when both teams clash again. He said that the Eagles were desperate to be at the 2014 World Cup and will go all out to redeem themselves in Nairobi.
According to him, the Super Eagles may have been weighed down by the celebrations of becoming African Champions in South Africa few weeks ago.
Besides, Kenya came to Calabar to frustrate Eagles with defensive game and would be under pressure to score when they host Nigeria.
One of Super Eagles coaches, Sylvanus Okpalla MON, on his part believed that the Eagles were over confident and apparently understated the Kenyans.
He however, said that the bottom line for the Eagles is to be in Brazil in 2014 and must ensure that they pick up the necessary points to ensure their qualification.
Meanwhile, Vice President of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Chief Mike Umeh, said yesterday that Super Eagles had chances of qualifying for the World Cup in spite of the home draw with Kenya.
Umeh told newsmen in Calabar that Nigeria was still topping its group and had chances of winning more matches.
He said the Eagles did not raise their game against Kenya and that made them to pay dearly for equalising in the last minute of the encounter.
Umeh urged the Eagles to be focused in the return match as they could win the match
‘’ It is okay. Football is not mathematics. When we go to Kenya too, they will be playing under pressure and we will take up the game.
‘’ There is no hell, I mean, it is eleven to eleven man’s game , so promising hell on earth , that is, we should write that one off, Nigeria is too matured for that kind of threat.
‘’ Well, we are still topping the table. We have five points now and we are still topping the table.
‘’ The implication is that we are still on top. All hopes are not lost. ’’
Umeh said he was optimistic that the Eagles would turn the table against the Kenyans in Nairobi despite the home draw.
He said the Kenyans would be playing under pressure at home and would be forced to open up, a situation, he said, would make the Eagles to also attack them.
The NFA vice president urged the Eagles to adopt same attitude and pattern they used during the nations cup for their remaining matches.
‘’ I believe that with the right attitude, we will win some matches. ’’
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.
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