38 — Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2021 AFCON 2021: Super Eagles camp bubbles for Squirrels, Crocodiles Nigeria’s senior men team’s camp is teeming with her superstars as countdown begins for the final round of qualification matches for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations against Benin Republic and Lesotho respectively. At lunchtime on Tuesday, 23 players had arrived at the magnificent Eko Hotel & Towers, Victoria Island, Lagos where the three-time African champions are ensconced ahead of the big duels. Nigeria top their group with eight points, one better than the Squirrels of Benin Republic, against whom they trade tackles at the Stade Charles de Gaulle in Porto Novo on Saturday in the penultimate round of the qualifying campaign. Three days later, the Eagles confront the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Teslim Covid-19 pandemic has denied the world the spectacle usually associated with sports events. And since 2020 great football matches have been played and are still being played in empty stadiums to avoid spread of the diseases. Covid-19 has changed the world. However, Africa's soccer icon and Qatar 2022 World Cup ambassador, Samuel Eto'o is hopeful that some normalcy may result from the current global efforts fighting the pandemic and that the world will be treated to the usual spectacle that the World Cup is in 2022. 'It's 600 days to the World Cup. That's a lot of time for things to get better and possibly get 100 percent of the usual spectacle we all experience from the fans', Eto'o said in a virtual media chat with African journalists Tuesday. Eto'o has been living in Qatar for three years now. He is a witness to the transformation the country has gone through in readiness for the World Cup in 2022. 'If you consider the efforts everybody is making including the World Health Organisation, WHO, Balogun Stadium, Lagos in what will be their first encounter in Nigeria’s commercial and economic capital in 10 years. With three –pointer Sierra Leone, third in the pool, concluding their game away to bottom –placed Lesotho in Maseru earlier, the Eagles could be guaranteed qualification for the final tournament in Cameroon before kick-off in Porto Novo. Failure by the Leone Stars to pick all three points will mean Nigeria and Benin are through to Cameroon. On Tuesday, Coach Gernot Rohr said his wards will approach Saturday’s match with the intention of picking all three poits, no matter the result of the group’s other tie in southern Africa. “We are keen to restore a winning mentality to the group ahead of very Qatar 2022 World Cup: I wish I were 10 years younger to play in Qatar — Eto'o •Says 'Football spectacle may return before the games' GWG acquires HISL/HIFL trademark Green White Green Sports Centre Ltd (GWG) has acquired Higher Institution Sports League (HISL) and Higher Institution Football League (HIFL) trademark. The acquisition extends the GWG’s search for all encompassing education - providing training; entertainment; sporting and cultural activities. Announcing the acquisition yesterday, Secretary, HISL/HIFL Supreme Management Committee, Babatunde Adejuwon, said GWG will at any moment from now come up with aggregate sports programmes for all Higher Education Institutions — in a way that suits developmental needs of combining sports with education. Adejuwon, who is a renowned volleyball promoter, added that combining sport with academic study improves athlete performance on the field as well as off it and gives the athlete a headstart in post-sport career. it's possible the spectacle may return at the World Cup. However, if the pandemic continues I'm sure that Qatar will take the right decisions that will be good for football,' he said while assuring that the Middle East country is ready to host the best World Cup ever. On the facilities he said that all the stadiums will be ready this year, noting that some are ready now and hosting matches. 'Each time I visit any of the venues and see the magnificent structures I feel like a baby given a new toy. The sights are amazing to behold and I wish I were 10 years younger so that I could play there at the World Cup. Some of them are already hosting matches. The rest will be ready before the end of this year.' No African country has gotten close to winning the World Cup. Cameroun, Senegal and Ghana only reached the quarter finals. Will Qatar offer African countries better opportunities to excel? The last time Eto'o was asked a similar question he said Africa had the talents to do better than they have done at the World Cup but regretted that administration of the game in the continent has always frustrated the teams. His position has not changed but he hopes that African teams have what it takes to make their continent proud in Qatar. 'Football is like a religion in Africa. The fans support their teams and they will bank on them to make them proud.' By John Egbokhan Super Eagles manager, Gernot Rohr, has inferred that Genk towering striker, Paul Onuachu, was a victim of his instant and early success in the senior national team. Rohr, initially excluded Onuachu, who has scored 25 goals from 30 matches in the Belgian top flight league, from the upcoming African Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Benin Republic and Lesotho in Port Novo and Lagos, said the striker’s failure to live up to his early promise,where he scored a quick-fire goal, pushed him to the stand-by list of the national team. crucial matches that we have ahead. It is important that we earn victories in the upcoming matches so that we get into our paces for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. There will be tough games to come and we need to be rearing to go.” The Eagles have Cape Verde, Liberia and Central Africa Republic to dispute in the 2022 FIFA World Cup race, with only the winner heading to the final knockout series in November. Liberia’s Lone Star will be the Eagles’ first opponents in that race, at home, before a trip to Bangui. •Ahmed Musa On the organisation a n d preparedness of Qatar, E t o ' o challenged African countries to emulate Qatar and be inspired by their vision. •Eto'o 'Qatar is a small country in the Middle East but they are a country with visionary leaders who have made them what they are today. I hope that Africa will draw inspiration from them. The World Cup is not only about the games, there are so many benefits that come with it.' Eto'o feels that the package Qatar is offering to the world in 2022 is so amazing that he describes it as 'a gift to the world.' Rohr: Onuachu a victim of instant Eagles success But for UD Almeria's decision to stop Sadik Umar from linking up with the Eagles camp in Lagos, Onuachu, would not have been deemed good enough to make the team and speaking yesterday at the Eko Hotel, Rohr, who back-tracked on his earlier snub for Onuachu, with a late invitation, said the latter remains “a very important player” for Nigeria. “Onuachu is a part of the team, I invited him already when he played his first match and he scored the goal after seven seconds and then the people are waiting all the time that he is doing the same but he could not." Home-based players too much in a hurry —Rohr Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr has said home-based Nigerian players are too much in a hurry to get overseas clubs, hence their lack of break-through with the national team. Rohr has been under much criticism for his lack of enthusiasm for players in the Nigeria Professional Football League, but he said ahead of the African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic and Lesotho this weekend, that homebased players need to develop their skills before going abroad. "I already invited more than 23 or 24 local players since I have been in charge of the Super Eagles but we invite them and then immediately they are going to Europe. It is wonderful for them but maybe not for us,” said coach Rohr Meanwhile Adekunle Adeleke, Abia Warriors defender one of the NPFL players invited for the AFCON qualifiers games said he By John Egbokhan Super Eagles players have not been told that they would be travelling by boat to Port Novo for this weekend's African Cup of Nations qualifier against the Squirrels. Only last week, the President of the Nigeria Football Federation , Amaju Pinnick and the Eagles manager, Gernot Rohr, embarked on a boat trip to Benin Republic, as a way of reassuring the Franco-German tactician on the safety and workability of moving the team for the duel with the Squirrels. It was learnt that Rohr had initially raised eyebrows over the plan to ferry the team to Benin •Adeleke would make good use of the opportunity. “Definitely we are going to give a good account of ourselves and try to do our best to show that there are good and quality players in the league,” Adeleke said Eagles not aware of boat trip to Benin By Jacob Ajom Super Eagles manager, Gernot Rohr has said that the Super Eagles were happy to be in Lagos after their sojourns to Uyo, Asaba and Benin in the past. Rohr who was speaking with the media after Super Eagles walkout in the gym Tuesday morning said Lagos was an ideal place with superb facilities that could not be accessed in Benin and Asaba. “I am happy to be in Lagos because we have good facilities here and Uyo was very good too. But we don't have to travel far before playing our match. In the past, when we were going to the regions we had to sleep in Lagos first before travelling to either Benin or Asaba to play,” he recalled. He was sure the pitch would not be a problem because he was aware Republic by boat but later softpedalled after the sea voyage to Cotonou in a boat. ''With the experience, I strongly believe our coming trip to Port Novo is doable by boat'', Pinnick wrote on his instagram page. But speaking for the first time on the issue, captain Ahmed Musa said yesterday that the players were yet to be intimated on the recourse to boat to hit Benin for the AFCON qualifier. ''We are not aware that we would be travelling by boat to Benin Republic. This is news to me'', said Musa. When told that Manager Rohr has confirmed that the team would go on a boat voyage for the game, Musa responded, ''I am sure we would be briefed and personally, I have nothing against the plan if its okay. Rohr: Eagles happy to be in Lagos Benin match a must win – Rohr that the Teslim Balogun stadium management had been working on the grass/ He expressed optimism, “They have been working hard on the grass. The last time I came here some weeks back, I made a point about the grass. I think the grass will be okay.” The coach also expressed happiness over the prospects of the Eagles playing in front of Lagos fans when they take on the Crocodiles of Lesotho, March 30. “Playing in front of fans will make the players happy and I am sure it is going to be a very good final match because we are going to celebrate our qualification.” Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, has said beating the Republic of Benin at home is a task that must be accomplished when they meet in •Rohr the AFCON qualifiers. The Franco-German coach is already anticipating challenging games in Porto Novo against the Squirrels and in Lagos against Lesotho on March 27 and 30 respectively. Nigeria leads the Group L qualifying group with eight points after four matches while Benin trail in second place with seven points and Lesotho are at the bottom of the group with two points. But the Super Eagles remain favourites to join the party at Cameroon 2022, especially with the majority of invited Europe and home-based stars already available in the country for the two crucial encounters. And a confident Rohr is targeting a draw in Porto Novo against the tough Squirrels and a big win in Lagos versus Lesotho. “We want to finish our qualification on a positive note, and the two matches against Benin and Lesotho are very important,” Rohr told the CAF website. “Of course, we know that Benin is difficult to beat after our last game in Uyo (Nigeria won 2-1) and we need at least a point against them to qualify for next year’s Afcon.
Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 2021 — 39 C M Y K
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