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."