| Nothing
absolutely nothing
…Chievo striker, Victor Obinna Nsofor, says
no team can stop Nigeria from winning the 2008 MTN African
Cup of Nations in Ghana
By GBOLAHAN DADA
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
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Obinna
Nsofor
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
| |
Under-23 striker, Victor Obinna Nsofor, is confident that
Nigeria will be a team to beat when the MTN African Cup of
Nations kicks off in Ghana in January. The Chievo of Italy
player is sure that no country can stop Nigeria from making
a remarkable impact in the competition.
Having played in the last edition in Egypt, Nsofor said he
was not afraid of the teams in Nigeria’s group because
Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Benin Republic are not new to
Super Eagles in a competition of such magnitude.
"We have the players equal to the task," Nsofor
began. "Playing against Cote d’Ivoire and Mali
should not be a problem to Nigeria. We know the strength of
these teams. We can go to bed and predict their First Eleven,
just as they also know our players across Europe. All we should
be working on is how to beat them as a team. Our technical
crew has work to do.
"In Egypt, Cote d’Ivoire were just fortunate to
beat Nigeria in the semi-finals but, this time, the match
would be different because everybody would be there to win
the tournament and, as Nigeria is planning to camp in Malaga,
Spain, other teams are working very hard to present a formidable
team for the championship. So, Nigeria has the advantage to
prepare well for the event."
The player, whose impact helped Eagles to beat Switzerland
1–0 in an international friendly recently, predicted
tough battle for the host country, Ghana, in the competition.
He said Ghana, with their array of quality players, would
play all their matches under severe pressure and they may
make unpardonable mistakes that would cost them the Nations
Cup trophy.
"Like other countries, Ghana are strong contenders for
the Nations Cup marble. They have the players, and the fans
are for them but they need to be careful during the competition
as their people would go all out for them and, in return,
they are expected to win all their matches.
"Ghanaians are soccer crazy people. They were disappointed
when their Under-23 team couldn’t beat us. They tried
all they could to win the match but all their efforts proved
abortive. So, that is football for you. Football is no mathematics.
In any serious football atmosphere, anything can happen,"
he said.
The player also expressed resentment after Chelsea midfielder,
John Mikel Obi, and Olympique Marseille defender, Taye Taiwo,
refused to follow them to Ghana for the Olympic qualifier
against the Black Meteors. He said he was disappointed in
their behaviour, adding that their actions further propelled
the rest of the team to play Ghana with determination…and
he’s happy that they made something out of the match.
"After the news of the two players came that they would
not be coming for the match, we had a brief meeting where
we decided that we would give the match everything to get
maximum result to shame those who turned down their invitations.
God is no man, and we thank Him for helping us thus far. We
know that South Africa can't stop us, having gone far in the
qualifying series. We have decided to play for ourselves;
we all need the Olympics ticket. We wanted to make history
like those who won the Olympic football gold medal for Nigeria
in Atlanta. Playing in the Olympics would enrich our credentials.
"We are all aspiring to earn more from the game and we
know that our outstanding outing in Beijing would open more
opportunities for us to move to better clubs in Europe. It
is our dream; that is why we are not looking at the peanuts
NFA is paying us for playing in the Under-23 team. Forget
about the money; money is not everything. We just want to
give Nigeria the best."
On the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Nsofor said Nigeria’s
outing in Ghana would determine how far they can go in the
qualifiers; that the attitude of the players and the technical
crew in the African Cup of Nations would confirm their readiness
for the FIFA World Cup outing.
"Nobody has forgotten how Nigeria lost out in the last
World Cup race, and it is the dream of every player to play
in the World Cup. The responsibility lies on everybody –
from the NFA officials, coaches, players and the government.
It’s our cross, so we need to carry it well. Since it
is Africa’s show, Nigeria should try and qualify for
the competition.
"If we plan well, nothing should stop us from playing
at the 2010 World Cup," Nsofor opined.
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