3 January 2009
Super Eagles duo of Chidi Odiah and Osaze Odemwingie have again reiterated the resolve of the national team to ensure that Nigeria's flag is hoisted at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as the second round of qualifying matches are set to commence in March this year.
Odiah and Osaze, who both play in Russia for CSKA Moscow and Lokomotiv Moscow respectively, in separate exclusive interviews with your authoritative Complete Sports tasked the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, their Eagles team mates and soccer loving Nigerians on the need for all hands to be on deck for the nation's qualification to be assured.
"The World Cup is a must for us. First, for national pride as Nigerians and then as players to further boost our careers, it is important that we qualify. We will give everything possible to be there," Odiah who is presently on holidays in Nigeria said.
Lokomotive Moscow's Osaze expressed delight at the string of impressive results racked up by the Super Eagles in the first round of qualifiers- the team won all its six matches- a situation which if sustained in the second round can only motivate the team to do well when the World Cup proper begins in South Africa in 2010.
"The most important thing for us is the results which we need to qualify for the World Cup. I would like us to continue to win without conceding goals if possible. This will build up our confidence for the World Cup and Nations Cup proper," Osaze said from Belgium where he is currently holidaying.
The duo commended the NFF for the manner in which the Federation handled the prosecution of the first round of matches and harped on the need to sustain the tempo.
The NFF should leave no stone unturned. They should do everything possible in trying to organise the logistics perfectly well. They should do the right thing at the right time and by God's grace, there won't be any problem at all," said Odiah who scored a goal in the 4-1 white-wash of Sierra Leone in Abuja last October.
Osaze, who emerged joint top scorer with 10 goals for his Moscow based club also appealed to the NFF to provide a conducive atmosphere for the national team to excel.
"I sincerely hope we will get good pitches for training and for our matches as well as very good preparations. These can only spur us to achieve our target," Osaze concluded.
Odiah, while admitting that the second round matches will be tougher, promised that the Eagles will also improve their performance and pledged to justify his inclusion whenever given the opportunity.
"The second phase will be a lot tougher so we have to step up our game and with Nigerians giving us their moral and spiritual backing, the ticket is assured," the fair-skinned defender concluded.
Similarly, Super Eagles captain and Portsmouth of England forward, Nwankwo Kanu, insists that ticket to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa is his top priority in the new year.
Nigeria is grouped alongside Kenya, Tunisia and Mozambique in group B in the last qualifying matches which kicks off in March this year.
The Nigerian captain reckons that though the Super Eagles performances in the first round of the qualifiers in 2008 was expressly commendable, such feat, he noted will be rubbished if the team could not match the same performance in the last round of the qualifiers which gets underway in March.
Papilo, as he is fondly called, admitted that such feat has raised the eyes and attention of the team's opponents but was fast to add that such attention can only inspire the Super Eagles in their quest to reach the finals in South Africa in 2010.
"Yeah, we did well in the first round of the qualifiers and we are therefore challenged to do even better. Whatever we achieved during the first stage of the qualifiers cannot count if we do not match that feat and translate it to our advantage," starts Nwankwo Kanu while looking ahead to the new year agenda for the Super Eagles.
He continued: "2009 is a new year, with its own challenges and prospects. Everyone aspires for the best and goes for it. As a team, I think our primary target is the World Cup ticket. Yes, I know getting the ticket to South Africa 2010 means we are also guaranteed a place in the Nations Cup in Angola, so you see how important it is.
"It will be good for us to be there (in the World Cup finals), this is the first time we (Africa) are hosting it and we cannot give any excuses. This is how it is, how important the year is and of course, we gonna work hard for it," he concluded.
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