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The present administration at the Nigeria Football Federation has ensured that the nation featured in almost every major football competition organized by the continental body, CAF, and the world body, FIFA, since its inauguration in August 2006.To achieve this goal, the administration unprecedentedly increased the number of national teams to twelve. It also felt this was necessary to satisfy the desire of Nigerians to watch their national teams play in major national and international tournaments.
Senior men's team (Super Eagles)
The Team which was born as UK Tourists in 1949 and later became the Red Devils before changing name to Green Eagles, and today is known as Super Eagles, did not qualify for the competition again until 1976, when the Green Eagles won bronze in Ethiopia.
Also in 1968, Nigeria made her debut at the Olympics in Mexico but lost 1 - 3 to Japan, 0 - 3 to Spain and held Brazil to a 3 - 3 draw in a classic encounter. The squad had the likes of Sebastine Broadrick, "Sam Zagalo" Opone, Peter Fregene, Sam Garba Okoye, Segun Olumodeji, Muyiwa Oshode and Kenneth Olayombo.
Nigeria have won two African Nations Cup finals (1980 at home and 1994 in Tunisia), played in the Olympic Games six times (1968, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000 and 2008). In 1968, the Eagles sensationally drew 3-3 with "almighty" Brazil at the Olympics in Mexico City, and in 1996 shocked the world by winning the gold in Atlanta, USA. Heroes of that triumph include Nwankwo Kanu (the current Captain of the Super Eagles and two -time African Player of the Year), Austin "Jay Jay" Okocha, Celestine Babayaro, Tijjani Babangida, Dosu Joseph, Wilson Oruma, Daniel Amokachi, Victor Ikpeba, Uche Okechukwu and Sunday Oliseh.
In 2008, the Nigeria team picked the silver in Beijing, after losing the final to Argentina by a lone goal.
After 32 years of trying, Nigeria qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in 1994. The Eagles triumphed over Cote d"Ivoire and Algeria in the final round of qualifying series, a stage where it had fallen several times previously to the likes of Tunisia, Algeria and Cameroon.
It was an impressive debut at the World Cup finals in America, as the Eagles topped their group that included two -time winners Argentina, Bulgaria and Greece: Vs Bulgaria (3-0), Vs Argentina (1-2), Vs Greece (2-0).
Reaching the Round of 16 was seen as an impressive performance, especially after world football -governing body FIFA named the Eagles the second most entertaining team of the championship (after winners Brazil).
The Super Eagles also qualified for the 1998 finals in France, after beating Guinea, Kenya and Burkina Faso in the final round of qualification.
Nigeria was also at the Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup, after the Eagles won their last three matches of the African series. Defeats away to Liberia (2-1) and Sierra Leone (1-0) put the team on the rope, but they picked the ticket after beating Sudan (3-0 in Port Harcourt and 4-0 in Omdurman), Ghana (0-0 in Accra and 3-0 in Port Harcourt), Sierra Leone (2-0 in Lagos) and Liberia (2-0 in Port Harcourt).
In Korea/Japan, Nigeria failed to reach the second round after losing 0-1 to Argentina and 1-2 to Sweden, and drawing 0-0 with England.
The Eagles failed to qualify for the last tournament in Germany in 2006. In 2010, the national team heads for the World Cup in South Africa, the first on the continent.
Also in 1968, Nigeria made her debut at the Olympics in Mexico but lost 1 - 3 to Japan, 0 - 3 to Spain and held Brazil to a 3 - 3 draw in a classic encounter. The squad had the likes of Sebastine Broadrick, "Sam Zagalo" Opone, Peter Fregene, Sam Garba Okoye, Segun Olumodeji, Muyiwa Oshode and Kenneth Olayombo.
Nigeria have won two African Nations Cup finals (1980 at home and 1994 in Tunisia), played in the Olympic Games six times (1968, 1980, 1988, 1996, 2000 and 2008). In 1968, the Eagles sensationally drew 3-3 with "almighty" Brazil at the Olympics in Mexico City, and in 1996 shocked the world by winning the gold in Atlanta, USA. Heroes of that triumph include Nwankwo Kanu (the current Captain of the Super Eagles and two -time African Player of the Year), Austin "Jay Jay" Okocha, Celestine Babayaro, Tijjani Babangida, Dosu Joseph, Wilson Oruma, Daniel Amokachi, Victor Ikpeba, Uche Okechukwu and Sunday Oliseh.
In 2008, the Nigeria team picked the silver in Beijing, after losing the final to Argentina by a lone goal.
After 32 years of trying, Nigeria qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in 1994. The Eagles triumphed over Cote d"Ivoire and Algeria in the final round of qualifying series, a stage where it had fallen several times previously to the likes of Tunisia, Algeria and Cameroon.
It was an impressive debut at the World Cup finals in America, as the Eagles topped their group that included two -time winners Argentina, Bulgaria and Greece: Vs Bulgaria (3-0), Vs Argentina (1-2), Vs Greece (2-0).
Reaching the Round of 16 was seen as an impressive performance, especially after world football -governing body FIFA named the Eagles the second most entertaining team of the championship (after winners Brazil).
The Super Eagles also qualified for the 1998 finals in France, after beating Guinea, Kenya and Burkina Faso in the final round of qualification.
Nigeria was also at the Korea/Japan 2002 World Cup, after the Eagles won their last three matches of the African series. Defeats away to Liberia (2-1) and Sierra Leone (1-0) put the team on the rope, but they picked the ticket after beating Sudan (3-0 in Port Harcourt and 4-0 in Omdurman), Ghana (0-0 in Accra and 3-0 in Port Harcourt), Sierra Leone (2-0 in Lagos) and Liberia (2-0 in Port Harcourt).
In Korea/Japan, Nigeria failed to reach the second round after losing 0-1 to Argentina and 1-2 to Sweden, and drawing 0-0 with England.
The Eagles failed to qualify for the last tournament in Germany in 2006. In 2010, the national team heads for the World Cup in South Africa, the first on the continent.
2010 World Cup - Full List of Preliminary National Team SquadsThe 32 qualified teams participating in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa have provided a preliminary list of up to 30 players. The teams have till June 1st to provide a final list of 23 players. Provisions are made where players with serious injuries can be replaced up to 24 hours before their team's first game.The highlight in any footballer's career is without a doubt, playing for his country in the World Cup. This week was "a dream come true" for many players and a massive disappointment for others. Thousands of fans in the 32 countries will contest their coach's controversial decisions to include certain players while omitting others. World Cup Group A (France, Mexico, Uruguay, South Africa) Raymond Domenech, the French coach announced a preliminary list of 30 players for the 2010 World Cup. The big surprises are the absences of Benzema (Real Madrid), Nasri (Arsenal) and Patrick Vieira (Manchester City). France and the host country South Africa will face in the opening match of the tournament on 11 June. In this same group Mexico have chosen a very young squad and will play without the talented Miguel Sabah due to injury. Bafana Bafana's Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, also sprang some surprises for South Africa, like Israel-based defender Bevan Fransman and prodigal son Benni McCarthy. As for Uruguay, Oscar Tabarez announced a list of 26 without any major surprises except for the non inclusion of Cristian RodrÃguez, possibly for the fact that he would have missed the first two games of the World Cup due to a red card suspension. World Cup Group B (Argentina, Greece, Nigeria, South Korea) Diego Maradona's selection provided some surprises for the Argentines, by picking the unknown trio of Ariel Garce, Sebastian Blanco and Juan Insaurralde, contrasting with notable absences like Javier Zanetti, Cambiasso, Gago, or Lucho Gonzalez. Argentina is drawn in Group A along with Greece, Nigeria and South Korea. The Greek coach, Otto Rehhagel, named 30 players without any surprises, bringing in Seitaridis and Patsatzoglou after an injury filled season. Lars Lagerback, the Nigerian coach, made no notable surprises in the 30 man list, maintaining veteran striker Kanu in the squad. South Korea' coach Huh Jung-Moo also made no surprises in the 30 choices, maintaining 2002 FIFA World Cup hero Ahn Jung-hwan who will play for a third consecutive appearance on World Cup. World Cup Group C (England, USA, Slovenia, Algeria) England were surprised by call-up of uncapped Michael Dawson, and the talented Adam Johnson. Jamie Carragher and Ledley King return to the squad. The two big names that Fabio Capello will not go to South Africa's World Cup are David Beckham because of injury and Pal Scholes, retired from the England Squad. The other teams in this group include the USA, Slovenia and Algeria. Coach Bob Bradley did not include Freddy Adu in the US team even though he went for the Confederations Cup. Another absence due to a serious car accident is Charlie Davies. There were no big surprises from Algeria coach Rabah Sadaane whose team is dominated by a strong Europe based contingent. No surprises fr | ||||
Nigeria Versus Equatorial Guinea: All African Games Qualifier Match Preview The Nigeria U-23 team which have been formally nicknamed- Dream team V, will on Saturday 26th March 2011 square up against their Guineans counterpart in a crunch Olympic Games qualifier slated for the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, Nigeria. The team has been in camp for more than a week preparing under the tutelage of Coach Austin Eguaveon. One important fact about this fixture is that the winner will have a chance to represent Africa at the football event of the 2012 Olympic Games. The Nigerian team The Nigeria team is made up of a blend of foreign and home-based players with vast experience at club level. A unique incident which would have seen the National senior team coach clashing with the Olympic team coach was averted, when three players who were previously invited for Nigeria African Nations Cup encounter with Ethiopia were eventually drafted to the Olympic team. The players in question were:
Equatorial Guinea team Not much is known about this team, as they have no established star in their fold. This unknown factor has been a serious source of worry to the technical crew of the Olympic team of Nigeria. Facts and Figures
The All African Games/Olympic cracker between Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea will be handled by the following persons:
Statistics favor the Nigerian team with the added advantage of playing at home and having the complement of experience and quality players. It will be the biggest upset in football history if Equatorial Guinea wins the encounter. A draw cannot however be ruled out. Kick off time is fixed at 4pm Nigerian time. Clement Sadjere is an Author, a motivational speaker and an information product sales/ marketing expert. He can be reached via telephone on +2347053925751 Visit his website at http://www.grelohi.com How Far Will Nigeria's Super Eagles Go? What are the chances of Super Eagles' of Nigeria at the first world cup taking place on the African continent? My guess is as good as yours or maybe not. People have been reacting to what they feel would be another disgraceful outing for Nigeria in South Africa, while others believe the team could be the surprise package of the tournament. Sincerely, I believe that only teams with good preparations and the desire to win coupled with discipline and prayers would go very far. Nevertheless, this is what I would be talking about and maybe at the end of this post, You may either agree or disagree on how far the team can go. Let's go back in time and see how far the team has come. Nigeria participated in her first World cup at the USA '94' finals. They qualified as runners up to Argentina, whom coincidentally, they would be facing again this year in South Africa '2010', and were knocked out in the second round by Italy. In France '98', they qualified as group winners, playing against the likes of Spain and Bulgaria. They were knocked out again and failed to get to through the second round after suffering an embarrassing 4:1 defeat at the hands of Denmark. They did not make it past the group stages in 2002 while politics and poor results ensured that Nigeria could not participate in the 2006 edition which took place in Germany. A steady decline has been in existence from 1994 to 2006 which I'm sure you all agree. Never mind, let's go on. This time around, the Eagles narrowly escaped disqualification on the last day of the qualifiers. They needed to win game in Kenya, hoping Mozambique would beat Tunisia. That's exactly what happened, and with that victory, Nigeria was able to leapfrog Tunisia and clinch the World cup ticket to South Africa 2010 Preparations are now they key to Nigeria's' chances at the World cup. However, there is a problem in the lack of cohesion between the generation of older players and the younger ones (coughing sarcastically). Nigeria has always produced quality players. The likes of Stephen Keshi, Segun Odegbami, Rashidi Yekini, Mutiu Adepoju, Sunday Oliseh, Finidi George, Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amuneke, Samson Siasia, Christian Chukwu, Friday Elaho, Uche Okechukwu, Celestine Babayaro, Austin Okocha, Late Samuel Okwaraji (God bless his soul) have proven that the country indeed, has produced extraordinary football talents. But, with strikers like Martins, Osaze, Yakubu (I wonder how he made the team), Kalu, Obasi, Utaka, Kanu (Well?), Nsofor and Obasi, Nigerian's would be praying that their eyes for goals would stare the team towards glory during the World cup. The partnership between the strikers is still yet to blossom, regardless of the style and formation the team would be adopting However, a rebuilding project is now taking place after a new manager (Lars Largerback) has been appointed to replace the erstwhile coach, Shaibu Amodu. Positive signs are beginning to emerge with the Swedish tactician already making changes in the team. I personally believe these are minor indications for Nigerians to believe that the Super Eagles can spring a surprise. After missing out on qualification the last time out, I expect the Eagles to be a team with a point to prove Let me know your thoughts and until next time, have a great day! Olajide Tobun is a passionate fan of Arsenal football club and plays chess, snooker, basketball and tennis very well. Olajide currently works in the Sports Directorate of the RCCG (Redeemed Christian Church Of God) as computer system administrator. Check out his blog at http://sportsandall-jdcrux.blogspot.com Nigeria Vs Liberia - 2nd Leg of All African Games Qualifier Preview The Nigerian Olympic team which popularly called the Dream team V will be in action next weekend against the Liberian U-23 National football team in the 2nd leg of the All African Games Qualifier. The game comes up at the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin City Nigeria. The 1st leg of the encounter which was played at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Complex on Saturday 16th April 2011 saw both sides settling for a 1-1 with Nigeria opening scoring in the 33rd minute of the encounter through the penalty spot, after Leicester City forward Daniel Uchechi was fouled in the penalty area. He summoned enough mental strength to convert the opening goal to the delight of the few traveling supporters. The Nigerians who were missing some of their big stars had before the encounter protested the ill treatment meted out to them by the Liberian Football Federation prior to the game. The opening goal by the Nigerian Olympic team spurred a spontaneous reaction from their Liberian counterpart desperate to impress their home fans who had come to cheer them to victory. The pitch was however not helping their course, as it was not in the best of conditions. Their persistence however paid off in the 63rd minutes when attacking midfielder Johnson Samuel scored the needed equalizer via a stunning header in the 63rd minutes of play. The host would have snatched all three points in the dying minutes of the second half after they were awarded a penalty kick. Hero of the U-17 team that won gold at South Korea in 2007 Oladele Ajiboye pulled off a decisive safe to deny what would have been the winning goal. He was however replaced by few minutes to the end of the game when he got injured by a Liberian player Ronaldinho. The referee whistle brought reprise to Coach Austin Eguaveon who was much tensed throughout the encounter. The reverse fixture promises to be a cracker considering the importance of the encounter to the Dream team V aspiration. The U-23 team will have the advantage of playing at home before the ever vociferous Nigeria supporters club. One thing that would go in favor of the Dream team is the huge talent available to the technical team. Rabiu Ibrahim, Nnamdi Odumadi, Ekigho Ehiosun, Ibok Edet and Goalkeeper Dele Ajiboye would likely start the game that promises to be exciting and entertaining. The Governor of Edo State Comrade Adams Oshiomole is expected to be the special guest of honor during the game. Clement Sadjere is an Author, a motivational speaker and an information product sales/ marketing expert. He can be reached via telephone on +2347053925751, +2347031874734. He owns a free article directory which can be accessed at http://www.grelohi.com | ||||
