A legend takes his bow

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

Nwankwo Kanu’s first game for the Super Eagles took place just over 16 years ago on May 5, 1994, in an international friendly against the Swedish national team. Last Tuesday, Kanu appeared for the Super Eagles in the 2-2 draw against Korea Republic, and stayed on the field for 57 minutes, before making way for Obafemi Martins.

Prior to the commencement of the game, the 33-year-old earned the loudest applause from the spectators that had trouped into the stadium in Durban, to watch what turned out to be a dramatic encounter between two sides eager to advance to the knockout rounds of the tournament.

For almost one hour, the former Arsenal, Inter Milan, and Ajax star remained on the field; his every touch on the ball was greeted with some sort of cheer from the appreciative crowd. Even as he lumbered off the pitch with his 1.97 metre frame, to be replaced by the much smaller Martins, there were still fans at the match venue as well as millions of others watching the game across screens the world over, who didn’t realise the implications of what had just transpired.

But hours later, with the Super Eagles unable to achieve their target of advancing to the Round of 16, it suddenly dawned on everyone that the legendary ‘Papillo’ had called time on his international career.

Undoubtedly the most successful and consistent Nigerian player of his generation, Kanu first emerged on the global stage as a bean pole utility player in the victorious Nigerian U-17 team to the 1993 tournament in Japan. A year later, he broke into the first team of Dutch club side, Ajax, and went on to claim the prestigious UEFA Champions League title in 1995.

More honours

A year after winning the Champions League trophy with Ajax, the lanky Kanu skippered Nigeria to the gold medal at the Olympic Football Tournament at Atlanta, scoring two goals in the famous 4-3 semi-final win over Brazil, including the last-gasp equaliser and the exquisite extra-time winner.

Not even the heart defect that was discovered by Inter Milan doctors and the subsequent surgery to correct the defect, was able to prevent Kanu from his number one passion, as he returned in time to play a part in the Super Eagles’ qualification for the 1998 World Cup in France, and went on to take part in the tournament where he entered the record books as the youngest player to captain a side in World Cup history.

He thereafter left Inter Milan for Arsenal, where he attained legendary status, scoring 44 times in 198 appearances with the Gunners, winning two league titles and two FA Cups in the process. He also won an FA Cup winners medal with Portsmouth in 2009, and looks set to play second-tier league football with the English south coast outfit, following their relegation from the Premier League.

But even though he has lost some pace to age, his brilliance on the pitch still seem a couple of years away from oblivion, and will still be enough to attract to match venues football fans eager to catch a glimpse of the benevolent football icon, who has dedicated a greater part of the past decade towards ensuring a better life for children with heart defects through the Kanu Heart Foundation.

Testimonial

“Kanu will always be a great player, if not the greatest player to have come out of Nigeria,” said former Super Eagles defender, Benedict Iroha. “I always felt this will be his last appearance for Nigeria. It didn’t turn out the way we all wanted, but I’m sure people will always remember him for the great things he did on the field of play.”

Iroha also called on the Nigeria Football Federation to “immediately” organise a befitting testimonial for Kanu, a view that is equally shared by a host of his former Super Eagles teammates, including Nduka Ugbade.

“That is the least that can be done, and it must be as soon as possible, not one year later because Kanu has given so much of his life to this country,” said Ugbade.

Regardless of whether a testimonial is organised or not, football fans the world over will not easily let go of the great memories evoked by the legendary Nigerian, who competed at six African Cup of Nations tournaments, three FIFA World Cups, and who was twice named the African Player of the Year.

Kanu the coach

Who knows, he might even delve into coaching, an idea that he seems to be warming up to when he met up with reporters shortly after Nigeria’s exit from the World Cup.

“Moving into coaching is an interesting idea, but the organisation from above has to be right. Not just for anyone who wants to coach, so it is easier for them to do the job, but for those who want to play and get on with it.

“You don’t see many Africans who have made it (as players) want to go into coaching - they don’t want to take all the nonsense that comes from above. If the people in power have played football, they would understand what is going on, but that is not often the case,” said Kanu.

A few days ago, Kanu, speaking to a reporter from the BBC, said he would be looking back on his international career with pride.

“I’ve really enjoyed myself, and it was emotionally important for me to play in front of my family,” he stated.

“I’ve won the [under-17] World Cup, the Olympic gold, and Nations Cup silver and bronze medals. We haven’t achieved much as a team, but personally, I think it’s an achievement I am proud of.

“My wife was here [in Durban] to watch me. I played in front of my kids at the biggest football tournament, so what else can I ask for,” he added.

Indeed, what else can one ask for from such an accomplished individual?

Utaka, Uche brothers eye World Cup action

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


Every player dreams of featuring at the World Cup. It comes to pass for some while it remains a faraway dream for most.

In less than a month from now, 736 players representing 32 nations will converge on South Africa for the first FIFA World Cup to be staged on African soil. Nigeria will be one of those nations and will be contributing 23 players to the eagerly anticipated spectacle.

A 30-man provisional squad list unveiled recently by Super Eagles coach Lars Lagerback, included siblings John and Peter Utaka as well as Kalu and Ikechukwu Uche who will all be doing their best in the weeks ahead to confirm their spot in the final 23-man list.

Brothers in arms

Celestine and Emmanuel Babayaro both appeared for Nigeria at the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Japan but no pair of Nigerian siblings have ever featured together at a senior World Cup. So if Lagerback ends up taking both the Uche and Utaka brothers to South Africa it will be historic for the Nigerians.

It won't, however, be the first time in World Cup history as it has already happened on four different occasions with the most recent coming at the last tournament in Germany where the Ivoirians arrived with a team featuring the both the Koné brothers (Arouna and Bakari) and the Touré brothers (Kolo and Yaya).

"It will be nice to play with my brother and even better if it's at the World Cup," said Peter, the younger of the Utaka brothers.

He then added: "It has always been my wish to play in the Super Eagles with my big brother. We talk about it all the time and we will both do our best to ensure it happens."

New kid on the block

Unlike the Uche brothers who have been integral members of the national team for a couple of years now, the Utaka brothers have never played together in the Super Eagles. Although John has featured for the Super Eagles since 2002 he has been left out of the side for some months now and even missed the African Cup of Nations tournament in Angola earlier in the year, while the younger Peter has only made one appearance for the Super Eagles in a 5-2 thrashing of Congo DR in Abuja where he even found the back of the net to make it a dream start to his international career.

"It was a nice way to start even if it was just a friendly match," Peter said.

"My target now is to work very hard and make the team because there are so many top players in the Super Eagles.

"Since I was a child, I dreamt of playing in the World Cup. Now I have a chance to do that with my brother and in a team that has a lot of great players like (Nwankwo) Kanu and IK Uche," Peter stated.

"IK Uche is someone I want to play with but Kanu is a legend. To me, Kanu is the greatest Nigerian player of all-time. Just training and playing with Kanu on the same pitch will be fantastic," he added.

Sibling pair

Real Zaragoza's Ikechukwu was the national team's leading scorer in the South Africa 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign before a career threatening injury ruled him out of the rest of the qualifiers as well as the African Cup of Nations in Angola. He has, however, recovered ahead of schedule and is looking forward to making his World Cup debut in South Africa.

"It seems like an eternity since I last played for the national team but I now have a chance to play at the World Cup," said Uche.

The younger of the Uche brothers also said he enjoys playing alongside his elder brother, Almeria's Kalu.

"I love playing with him. He knows the way I play and I understand him as well so I look forward to playing with him again," added Uche.

Uche is equally looking forward to playing again with John, peter's elder brother, even though he doesn't know much about the prolific OB Odense forward.

"John is a good friend but I don't know much about his brother," said Uche.

"I have heard a lot of good things about him; that he's a good player and a good scorer, and I hope to get a chance to play with him."

That chance may arrive later in the month when the Super Eagles commence their training camp in London, England where they already have a series of friendly matches lined up.

The World Cup jackpot the Eagles would have missed

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

For many Nigerians, it would had been an immeasurable disaster had the Super Eagles failed to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

For them, especially the core optimists among the over 140 million “coaches” in the country who never lost hope up to last weekend’s game against Kenya, it would have been another round of four years emotional torture after experiencing the bitter scenario of following proceedings from TV sets while the likes of “little” Togo and Angola took their places among the world football’s selected few in Germany.

Not only did the Togolese and the Angolans feature at football’s biggest stage, they also smiled to the banks. Thanks to the “jackpot” that the World Cup has become for participating teams.

Big pay day

Months before the commencement of the World Cup in Germany, advance payments of one million Swiss Francs (N147 million) was given to each association taking part in the World Cup as a contribution towards preparing their teams for the tournament.

In addition to that, each association got two million Swiss Francs (N294 million) per match in the first round which amounts to a total of seven million Swiss Francs (N1 billion) for every team that failed to advance beyond the first round in Germany such as Togo,

Angola, Tunisia and Cote d’Ivoire.

Teams that lost in the round of sixteen, like Ghana, earned an additional 1.5million Swiss Francs thus bringing their total prize money to 8.5 million Swiss Francs (N1.24 billion) while the losing quarter-finalists each picked up 11.5million Swiss Francs (N1.69 billion).

Italy were given 24.5million Swiss Francs (N3.6 billion) for winning the World Cup, runners-up France got 22.5million Swiss Francs (N3.3 billion) while third and fourth placed finishers,

Germany and Portugal, each got 21.5million Swiss Francs (N3,16 billion) for their efforts.

FIFA also bore the travelling costs for each delegation comprising 45 people as well as partial costs of accommodation while 15million Swiss Francs (N2.2 billion) was also set aside from the total prize money of 315million Swiss Francs (N44.1 billion) for an insurance fund intended to compensate clubs, through the participating associations, had any of their players suffered injuries during the tournament.

Once compensation had been paid out, the balance was distributed among the participating associations.


More money, more problems

The total amount disbursed at the last World Cup was significantly higher when compared to what was given out to participating teams at the 2002 edition co-hosted by South Korea and Japan and it is expected to be higher ahead of South Africa 2010.

Although in 2002, each participating team, as was the case in 2006, received a million Swiss Francs to cover its preparation costs, only 200,750,000 Swiss Francs (N29.5 billion), 50 percent less than the Germany 2006 sum, was shared out on a performance scale among the participating teams with eventual champions, Brazil, receiving 12,400,000 Swiss Francs (N1.8 billion).

Little wonder the Tunisian players cried their hearts out at the end of proceedings in Maputo, and our darling Super Eagles shed tears of joy at the end of last weekend’s game in Nairobi while the Egyptians played as if their entire lives depended on the outcome of their encounter against Algeria.

One only hopes that the largesse from FIFA doesn’t cause a split between the Nigeria Football Federation and the players as was the case in Trinidad and Tobago where the players are still awaiting their share of the bounty from their countryman, FIFA Vice-president Jack Warner, four years after making their World Cup debut.

Good enough for the Eagles

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

February 14, 2010

Years ago, before Nigerian players opted for overseas based club sides, the national team consisted entirely of footballers selected from Nigerian clubs. The reverse is however the case these days as no footballer plying his trade in the domestic league is considered good enough to play for the Super Eagles.

However, Nigerian clubs continue to impress against the best in the continent's tournaments and below are a few of the best the Nigerian league has to offer:

Austin Brown, Heartland

Vincent Enyeama is Nigeria's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper but it is glaring that he needs more competition if he is to retain his razor-sharp reflexes ahead of the World Cup and future international tournaments. That competition could be provided by Brown who continues to prove daily that great goalkeepers still abound within Nigeria.

Chibuzor Okonkwo, Bayelsa

Okonkwo started as a central midfielder but he is renowned these days as a right or left-sided defender. He continues to impress in defense and with his uncompromising tackles and high work rate, as well as his penchant for scoring the odd goal every now and then, who says he can't break into the Super Eagles?

John Nnam, Rangers

Watching Nnam rove down the right flank before delivering a cross can be likened to going back in time and watching Finidi George all over again. But he isn't your typical right-sided midfielder as he started out as a wingback and has also been tried out in the centre of the defence.

Thankgod Ike, Heartland

A central defender can't afford to take any prisoners. He has to be big, strong, brave, determined, with a good positional sense and intelligence to go with it, not forgetting the ability to tackle and mark an opponent. And that exactly fits the description of Ike who most strikers in the league want in their team as they don't want to be on the receiving end of his tackles.

Emmanuel Owolo, Heartland

While Ike does all the dirty work, Owolo is on hand to clean up in case there are any slips. But don't get carried away with his gentle looks as he is as ruthless in the art of defending as a Spartan is in the art of war.

Jonah Abutu, Dolphins

With the departure of the highly versatile Obiora Okonkwo for Europe only a few defensive midfielders have been as impressive as Abutu in the domestic league. He is big, hard to dispossess of the ball and can close down opponents all over the pitch and still have enough energy to dish out tackles and cover up for his team mates.

Ikechukwu Ibenegbu, Heartland

This skilful attacking midfielder is so good with the ball at his feet that it's hard to fathom why he still plays in the domestic league especially after showing just how good he really is at last year's CAF Champions League. Was called to the Super Eagles camp prior to the Nations Cup but we all know how that story played out.

Stanley Okoro, Heartland

There's no need waiting a few more years for "Little Messi" to blossom as he already has what it takes to compete with the big boys as exemplified by his performances in the Champions League matches he played for Heartland last year prior to the U-17 World Cup.

Richard Eromoigbe, Warri Wolves

Recently returned from Europe where he had spent the last couple of years, Eromoigbe is just about the highest profile player in the domestic league. And he hasn't lost his combativeness and high work rate and continues to show why Berti Vogts took him to the 2008 Nations Cup in Ghana.

Josiah Maduabuchi, Enyimba

Slotting in right behind the strikers at Enyimba, the former winger has been utilized to devastating effect running at opposing defenders and dishing out passes to the men ahead of him. And if the strikers are having a bad day Maduabuchi is not afraid to take on the opposition on his own.

Ibrahim Babale, Sunshine Stars

Undoubtedly the most consistent striker in the domestic league for some time now, Babale has shrugged off a career threatening broken leg and has started banging in the goals yet again. Can hold up play and bring his teammates into the fray and can be relied upon to hit double figures at the end of the season.

Victor Namo, Kano Pillars

If Namo is on song then expect opponents of Kano Pillars to have a bad day because he doesn't waste chances that come his way. His movement off the ball is a delight to watch and he often goes for precision rather than power when shooting at goal.


Others: Osas Idehen, Bassey Akpan, Mutiu Adegoke, Abdul Ajagun, Osanga King, Junior Osagie, Emmanuel Omodiagbe.

Siasia promises a new dawn for the Eagles

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

November 19, 2010 06:42PM

Samson Siasia, the new coach of the Super Eagles, has promised to gradually enforce changes in the national team saying that it won’t be business as usual by the time he resumes as the new Super Eagles coach.

Siasia will resume officially as the team’s head coach on December 1, but his emergence as the new helmsman had long been foreseen and most believed it was only a matter of time before the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) listen to the clamour from the streets that he be handed the Super Eagles job.

He was denied the position back in 2008 when the NFF opted to name Shaibu Amodu as the successor to Berti Vogts.

Now that Siasia has finally gotten the job he has described as his “dream job”, he knows he has to do all within his power to ensure that he does not end up disappointing those who have stood by him all these years.

“Nigerians have never hidden their love for me,” he told NEXT. “Right from my playing days to this day they have made it obvious that I am part of one very big football family and I will do everything I can to make sure that I do not disappoint them.”

Nigerians have been apparently disenchanted with the performance of the Super Eagles over the past couple of years, a time that has also seen the side struggle to attain the lofty heights of a past golden generation.

Nigerian players were a force to be reckoned with globally and the onus falls on Siasia, himself a member of the greatest Super Eagles side ever (the 1994 squad), to rebuild the Super Eagles and transform them into a side capable of resuming a position of world beaters.

There have also been calls from football fans for sweeping changes within the Super Eagles set-up especially as most of the current national team regulars have been deemed ‘too old’ to contribute meaningfully to the team’s long term goals.

Siasia insists he is in tune with “the yearnings of the people” but says changes will not be swift, but gradual.

“I have my plans for the team and there will definitely be changes but I will try to carry everybody along,” he said.

“The World Cup is four years away and four years is a very long time in the life of a footballer.

“If you add four years to the present age of some of the players they may no longer be at their best by 2014, so younger players will have to be introduced into the team, but only gradually.

“That is the only way it can be done in order not to create a vacuum in the team. So the moment I see someone who can fit into the team; who has something to offer the team, we will find a way to integrate that player into the team,” added Siasia, who also laid emphasis on discipline and work ethic as yardsticks for anyone aspiring to be in the new Super Eagles.

Discipline in the team

Indiscipline in the national team has for long been an issue as players have often been accused of not showing enough commitment and the proper level of professionalism when representing their country.

There had been instances in the past when players had been accused outside the field of play of engaging in activities detrimental to the team’s cause and unbecoming of individuals on national team assignment.

It is probably for reasons such as these that it had been suggested that national team players could be made to sign a Code of Conduct by the NFF in a bid to curb the players’ excesses.

“Discipline is synonymous with success. A disciplined side has a much better chance of attaining success than an undisciplined one,” said Siasia. “I would rather have a bunch of disciplined and dedicated players than a bunch of unruly players even if they are the best players on the planet.”

It is a view that is shared by Siasia’s former Super Eagles team mate, Emeka Ezeugo, who believes tough times lie ahead for any Super Eagles player not ready to change his ways for the better.

“I feel sorry for any player who isn’t ready to change his ways because this guy (Siasia) will not tolerate nonsense from anyone,” Ezeugo told NEXT.

“He has a fantastic rapport with his players and is a very friendly guy but he also knows when and where to draw the line, and any player who messes up after this line has been drawn will have himself to blame,” added Ezeugo, who was until recently was Siasia’s coaching assistant at Nigerian Premier League side Heartland FC, Owerri.

Siasia, Heartland and Kalika

Siasia’s continuous involvement with the Owerri-based club, even after securing the Super Eagles job, has been a topic for debate amongst footfall fans lately. But he said the matter will be resolved before he resumes with the NFF on December 1.

“My contract with the NFF hasn’t commenced yet but everything will be resolved before December,” said Siasia who refused to divulge further details.

Another issue is Siasia’s selection of Surinamese coach, Simon Kalika as his coaching assistant. This decision hasn’t gone down well with some individuals who would have preferred a Nigerian in that position.

One of such individuals is former international Peterside Idah who on Thursday on live television spoke against Siasia’s intention to have Kalika tag along as his assistant.

Although Idah was quick to point out that he held no ill feelings towards Kalika, he is of the opinion that a local coach will be better suited for the position; a view that got the backing of former Bafana Bafana of South Africa skipper Lucas Radebe.

Siasia and Kalika have been working together since 2005 when Siasia led the Flying Eagles to a second-place finish at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in the Netherlands, right up to the football event of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China where the Nigerian team returned with a silver medal, and even at last year’s FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.

And he has no qualms at having his trusted right-hand man by his side yet again.

“We have known each other for quite some time now and have come to appreciate one another,” he said. “We don’t always agree on everything but he is someone I respect; he also respects me, and we work very well together.

“I understand what he (Idah) was trying to say but the truth is I prefer working with someone I know very well than with someone new.”

Nduka Ugbade, a former Super Eagles colleague of Siasia’s, and also a coach, is totally in support of Siasia’s decision to recruit Kalika.

“If I were in Siasia’s shoes I would do the same,” he told NEXT. “The position of an assistant coach is very vital to the success of a team. If you don’t have an assistant you can confide in, an assistant that you trust, then it will be almost impossible for the coach to succeed.

“So, I am totally in support of his decision to bring in Kalika and I believe the NFF have done well to support his decision. I am sure they will not regret it.”

World Cup target

Kalika himself hasn’t been quiet as he was quoted in the media as saying that Siasia has set a semi-final target for the Super Eagles at the 2014 World Cup.

Nigeria’s best at the World Cup were back-to-back second round appearances in 1994 and 1998 but Kalika expressed confidence that the semi-final target was achievable and that it only required “good planning”.

Siasia agrees that with the right level of planning and organisation, the Super Eagles can qualify for the World Cup and go further than they had ever done at the tournament but insists everything has to be taken one step at a time.

“I don’t know about a semi-final target but it will be a great achievement for an African team,” he said. “It won’t be easy but if we plan properly we can go very far.

“With good planning, the right players and the right attitude, we can achieve anything but everything has to be taken one step at a time,” added Siasia whose top priority remains securing a ticket to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations to be co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

2012 before 2014

The Super Eagles are currently second behind Guinea in their qualifying group but will need to win the group ahead of the Syli Stars if they want to qualify automatically for the Nations Cup.

This has placed a lot of pressure on Siasia as the NFF, through Chris Green, it’s technical committee head, said that Siasia has been given a mandate not only to qualify the team for the Nations Cup, but to reach the semi-final otherwise the last two years of his four-year deal will not be activated by the NFF.

In response, Siasia said he is up to the task and will do all he can to get the Super Eagles’ Cup of Nations qualification back on track, and thereafter focus on the tournament itself.

“It looks difficult at the moment because of the loss to Guinea but we still have four matches to go,” he said. “After that we can now look at what we need to do at the tournament and plan towards it.

No instant success

Siasia is however quick to warn that success won’t come in an instant. The new coach said taking the Super Eagles back to the level they occupied back in the mid-90s culminating in the 1994 conquest of the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia will be gradual.

“It’s not going to be immediate as it will take some time to rebuild and get an ideal team that Nigerians will be happy to associate with, but we will get there.

“There may be some unfavourable results here and there but that is something we have to be prepared for, after all Rome wasn’t built in a day.”

In the eyes of the average football follower in Nigeria, good results will not matter if the Super Eagles don’t play an attractive brand of football to go along with the results. So what does Siasia intend to do about this?

“My football philosophy is attack oriented. I prefer attractive, free-flowing football but I also love to win. Having said that, I don’t think Nigerians will be pleased if we played attractive football only to end up losing games.

“Winning is the most important thing in football. I would prefer my team to play badly and win rather than to please the fans and end up losing, but I know that over the next couple of years we will have a team that Nigerians will love to be associated with.”

Super Eagles can win World Cup

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


March 18, 2009

Nigerian midfielder, Dickson Etuhu, has said that he expects the Super Eagles to not only make it to the World Cup in South Africa, but to actually win the competition.

No country outside Europe and South America has ever won the World Cup since it began in Uruguay in 1930.

Only seven countries: Uruguay, Italy, Germany, Brazil, England, Argentina, and France, have been able to lift the coveted trophy.

The Super Eagles's best World Cup performance to date has been successive second round appearances in 1994 and 1998, in the United States of America and France respectively.

However, Etuhu who spoke from his London, England base is of the opinion that Nigeria can finish the 2010 World Cup as champions judging by the class of players in the team.

"I really expect us to qualify because we're the best in Africa. We have the best players in Africa and we have no excuse not to be there. Qualifying for the World Cup shouldn't even be our primary target because we have players capable of winning the World Cup," said the Fulham player, before adding, "but we just have to take it one step at a time. We have got the players and all that is required is for everyone to throw their weight behind the team," added Etuhu, who joined Fulham at the start of the season from Sunderland.

I can do better than Amodu

2009

By Ifeanyi Ibeh

Super Eagles coach, Shuaibu Amodu has seen his popularity rating drop drastically in the last couple of months, no thanks to a string of unimpressive results that has seen the team unable to find the back of the net in three successive games.

And the coach's popularity among Nigerian football followers may plummet to an all-time low if he fails to qualify his side for next year's World Cup come the end of the qualifying campaign which at the outset was expected to be an easy ride to South Africa for the Super Eagles.

Vote of no confidence

Emeka Ezeugo, who has since delved into coaching since retiring from active football in 2001 in India and other countries with low football pedigree, has passed a vote of no confidence on the coach and is of the opinion that were he to be in Amodu's shoes, the team wouldn't be struggling against the likes of Mozambique, Kenya and Tunisia to make it to South Africa in 2010.

"When the draws for the World Cup qualifiers were released, I was probably the only one who mentioned that the Super Eagles had just won a lottery," said Ezeugo.

"But we now find ourselves in a difficult situation and if I were to be the coach; if I were the one handling this same team, I will go to Tunisia and come back with three points and secure maximum points from every home game we've got beginning with our next game against Kenya.

"Then I will go to Kenya and get the three points from that game and that's it, end of story, we're in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa," said the former Super Eagles midfielder.

Players in the team

One might easily be tempted to remark that the task of qualifying the team for the World Cup is, in the opinion of the former national team star, easier said than done, but Ezeugo is quick to disagree insisting that with the crop of players in the present-day Super Eagles, World Cup qualification should be easy.

"It's not easier said than done," retorted Ezeugo, "I know that I can do it if I were in charge of this team. With the crop of players we have in this team nothing can stop me. If the person who is inculcating the tactical part of the game into these players knows what he is doing they will get there.

"Against Mozambique I didn't see a Nigerian team on the pitch; it was some other team, maybe Republic of Benin that was on the pitch," he remarked before adding: "If they replicate that kind of performance in their upcoming games, end of story, no World Cup for Nigeria and we all know who to blame if that happens."