Nigeria Content Online

Tradition won the
day on Sunday when the French tennis federation decided to keep the
French Open at a renovated Roland Garros and rejected plans to move the
tournament to the Paris suburbs from 2016.

A federation
statement said delegates had opted for the “enlargement and
modernisation of the historic site at Porte d’Auteuil for the new
Roland Garros.”

Versailles, Gonesse
and a site in Marne-la-Vallee close to Disneyland Paris had bid to take
the only clay court grand slam out of the French capital and offer more
space.

However, in a
federation ballot on Sunday, Gonesse lost in the first round,
Versailles in the second with Paris then taking 70 percent of the vote
in the final round against Marne-la-Vallee.

Although, the
ageing and cramped Roland Garros in the west of Paris near the Bois de
Boulogne will now be redeveloped it is still likely to be the smallest
grand slam venue.

The Australian and U.S. Opens have much more modern facilities while Wimbledon has added a roof to its centre court.

Retired former
world number one Amelie Mauresmo, the face of French tennis for many
years, was among a number of players who were keen for the tournament
to change location.

“I think that in
Paris today we don’t have the possibility to have the necessary space
to develop Roland Garros,” she told Reuters.

“We are the smallest of the four grand slams and I think it is
important to have the chance to grow, and for the public to have more
room.” Media reports had expected Paris to win the vote in the end but
there was speculation a run-off with Versailles, the site of the royal
palace, might be needed.

The
national U-20 football team, the Flying Eagles will today square up
against their counterparts from Libya in the first of two warm-up
matches between both sides ahead of the Africa Youth Championship
coming up month in Libya.

The Flying Eagles
have been camped for over six weeks in Abuja where they have already
played a number of friendly matches with local club sides, as well as
the home-based Super Eagles.

For the team coach,
John Obuh, the match against Libya will help him know how ready his
lads are for the African challenge which lies ahead of them when the
youth championship begins on March 18.

Quality opposition

The Flying Eagles
team which departed the country on Sunday morning with 25 players and
officials promised to make the best of the friendly.

“We need to play
quality friendly matches to shore up our confidence. Libya is a good
side and we hope they will give us the quality position we are craving
for,” said Obuh, who led the national U-17 team to a second-place
finish at the 2009 cadets World Championship hosted by Nigeria.

The Flying Eagles
will likely face a good opposition in the form of the Libyans who only
recently won the North African Football Union Cup, after beating
Algeria 1-0 in the finals.

After today’s game,
both sides will meet again on Wednesday; the Flying Eagles will fly out
for a training tour camp in Antalya, Turkey afterwards.

The contingent of
25 players and nine officials will arrive in Turkey on February 17,
where they will be joined by four overseas-based players.

The team will spend
25 days and play a number of friendly matches in Antalya, before flying
to Tripoli on March 14 for the continental showpiece.

Nigeria are drawn
in a tough group against reigning world and African champions Ghana,
Cameroon and Gambia in Group B of the championship, which ends on April
1.

The Flying Eagles
opening match of the tournament will be against the Ghanaians, before
games against Cameroon in Benghazi and Gambia in Tripoli.

The top four teams at the championships will get a slot for the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be staged by Colombia later this year.

Super
Eagles coach, Samson Siasia has been criticised for labelling the coach
of the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone, Christian Cole, a comedian.

The Super Eagles
handler, while answering questions at a post-match press conference
after last Wednesday’s international friendly in Lagos, which ended 2-1
win in favour of Nigeria, called Cole a “comedian coach”. Siasia’s
comment was a reaction to an earlier statement by the Leone Stars
coach, also at the press conference, that his side were better than the
Super Eagles.

Cole, had accused
the Beninese match referee, Crespin Acuidissou, of giving “undue
advantage” to the Super Eagles, saying that such a move on the part of
the referee “will not help Siasia and his team” ahead of future
engagements.

He also said that
if any future game between both sides were to be “taken to a neutral
ground,” his side “will beat the Eagles.”

Head to head

The Leone Stars
have only got the better of the Super Eagles on just two occasions in
21 meetings. The last time they won the Eagles was in April 2001 when
they recorded a 1-0 win in a World Cup qualifier in Freetown. For their
part, the Super Eagles have won 14 of these games.

‘Inappropriate comment’

Despite the statistics, the Leone Stars have demanded an apology.

The Sierra Leonean
sports administrator, Gorge Wilson, feels Siasia owes Cole an apology.
He added that the apology will help prevent animosity between both
teams.

Wilson also told the Sierra Express Media that he would “like to throw a challenge to Siasia that Sierra Leone can beat Nigeria.

“Nigeria do not have a better side than the Leone Stars, we can beat them,” he insisted.

“Siasia calling
coach Christian Cole a comedian is insulting and inappropriate.
Football is a game of sport, although you want your team to win each
and every game, this is not always possible, however, determination,
effort, and true sportsmanship goes a long way too.

“As a coach, Siasia should know better on how to address a fellow
coach and to criticise in a professional way, not by throwing out some
off-hand comment that has no foundation. In fact, Siasia in his
capacity as head coach should display leadership qualities rather than
childish derogatory comments.”

Spain’s
Alvaro Quiros produced a bizarre final round which included a
hole-in-one to capture the Dubai Desert Classic by one shot on Sunday.

The 27-year-old
Quiros, celebrating his fifth European Tour success, also chipped in
for an eagle and took a triple bogey after losing a ball up a palm tree
in a final-round 68 to finish 11-under-par.

Denmark’s Soren
Hansen, needing to birdie the last hole to deny Quiros, posted a 70 to
end with a 10-under-par tally, the same as South African James Kingston.

Struggling Tiger Woods ended his desert campaign with a final-hole double bogey in a closing 75 for a four-under-par score.

Briton Lee Westwood
dropped three shots in his closing two holes and posted a 72 but
remains world number one after nearest ranking rival Martin Kaymer of
Germany ended in a share of 31st place.

Quiros’s ace, his fourth on the European Tour, came at the 11th.

“I played a three-quarter wedge shot and it was the perfect shot, but that happens just once a year,” he said.

“I had fallen back
to second or third so that hole-in-one was the positive point of the
round. It gave me a good advantage.” Starting his final round a shot
behind the leaders, Quiros began with a bang after chipping in from
five yards off the back of the green for an eagle at the second.

But he lost the
lead when his drive at the eighth landed in bushes forcing him to take
a penalty drop. However, Quiros’s ball plugged in the waste sand from
where he skied the ball some 30-yards into a palm tree.

A pair of
binoculars was required before Quiros, in the company of Chief Referee
John Paramour, could confirm that the ball in the tree was his. Quiros
took a penalty drop but walked off with a triple bogey.

He quickly shook off his misfortune to birdie the ninth and the hole-in-one then put him back in front for good.

Woods misfortune

Woods heads home still seeking a first win since November, 2009. “It was a very frustrating day,” the American said.

“But I got off to such a poor start, to be two-over through three holes and I just couldn’t make it up from there.

“When it was calm this week, I hit the ball pure, and that’s the thing. When the wind blows,

I have to shape shots and hit shots differently and all of my old feels are kind of out the window.

“That’s the thing about making changes, as I’ve said, I’ve been all
through this before with my last two instructors, and it will come
around. I just need more work and more practice.”

With
Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Sunderland, Chelsea were shoved into fifth
place and out of Champions League spot. So there is just one goal for
today’s match at Craven Cottage – the Blues must take three points! But
it will not be easy because during the first leg in November, it was a
nervy 1-0 win for Chelsea over their London neighbours.

Michael Essien
scored the goal but was sent off late in the second half for a
dangerous tackle on Clint Dempsey. At that time, Chelsea were still in
first place, four points ahead of Manchester United but things are a
lot different now.

Chelsea manager,
Carlo Ancelotti, is happy to have extra days to prepare for today’s
encounter but the Italian admits that his side have to be at their best
today to beat a Fulham side that is playing well and getting results.

“It is perfect to
be able to play on this Monday, the players have more time for recovery
after the international matches but we can still prepare for Fulham,
which will not be easy because I think Fulham now are having their best
moment of the season,” Ancelotti said.

“They are playing well with confidence so for us to be able to take more time and play on Monday is good.”

Taking on former players

They will also be
coming up against a former Chelsea player in Steve Sidwell, who was
transferred from Aston Villa in January. Sidwell has been like a nomad
since he left Chelsea three years ago but seems to be settling well
after his move to Fulham.

“The reason I left
Chelsea was to go and play football but it didn’t work out at Villa and
the same situation occurred. I left Villa to come and play football and
it’s working out,” Sidwell, who made a handful of appearances for the
Blues said.

Fulham coach Mark
Hughes, also a former Chelsea player will try to nullify the Chelsea
midfield and that could mean dropping one of his two strikers,
possibly, Moussa Dembele, into the hole and mandating Adam Johnson, to
run the channels behind Chelsea’s full backs, who are pseudo-wingers.

Hughes has already
ruled out his former team from challenging for the league title. “It’s
hard to see how they can win the title.

They’ve lost seven matches at this point.

“They’re in a very
difficult position and historically losing no more than six games has
been the benchmark. Even if they don’t lose again, I think it will be
beyond them to put together a run that will overcome the teams above
them.”

Fulham’s Ghanaian
right back, John Pantsil has scored two own goals in his last three
matches and Chelsea could target that channel in the hope that his
gaffes will continue.

Brazilian
midfielder, Ramires is back in the squad but Jose Bosingwa will face a
late fitness test. Ancelotti is happy with the additions and believes
his side now possesses more power.

“Now we have a strong squad with David Luiz and Torres, we’ve improved our ability and we have more power.

The squad was good, but now it is even better.”

Fitting Drogba and Torres together

Ancelotti is also
looking for a formula to fit in both Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres,
who had a subdued debut against Liverpool, as a two pronged attacking
unit.

“In attack we can
choose whether to play with two up front or with the Christmas tree, it
depends on the game that we want to play. When we play with two
strikers Nicolas Anelka can be in the number 10 position, in the hole,
but with one striker he can play on the right,” he said.

“Florent Malouda
can also play there, and sometimes we tried last year Frank Lampard at
the beginning of the season which was not bad.

Malouda can also
play in the Christmas tree, but I don’t need to think of him as a
central midfielder because we have a lot of options there.”

Chelsea midfielder
Gael Kakuta, on loan to Fulham cannot face his parent club, while
Nigerian holding midfielder, Dickson Etuhu is a doubt with a hamstring
problem. Bobby Zamora is still recuperating from a broken leg while
former Arsenal defender, Philippe Senderos is a long-term absentee with
an Achilles’ tendon complaint. Former Chelsea and Barcelona striker,
Eidur Gudjohnsen could also make a first start, after arriving on loan
from Stoke City.

Whatever formation is employed in today’s game by Ancelotti, Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich will be expecting a good result.

Formula
One teams used their cars to send Robert Kubica a ‘get well soon’
message on Thursday as the Renault driver was moved out of intensive
care four days after his rally crash in Italy.

The teams started
the second pre-season test at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain with
the Polish message “Szybkiego powrotu do zdrowia Robert (Get Well Soon
Robert)” on the sides of their cars. The website of the Formula One
Teams Association (www.teamsassociation.org) also carried the message.

A team spokeswoman
said the Pole, who suffered serious arm, leg and hand injuries when his
car crashed on a minor rally near Genoa on Sunday, was expected to have
further surgery on Friday. The 26-year-old underwent a seven hour
operation involving two teams of surgeons on Sunday to save his right
hand and stabilise his condition.

Kubica, one of Formula One’s brightest prospects and tipped as a
champion of the future, has been ruled out for at least the first two
months of the season and possibly all of it given the extent of the
injury to his right hand. Germany’s Nick Heidfeld, without a drive
since he left Sauber last year, has emerged as the frontrunner to
replace him and will test for Renault in Jerez along with their
official reserve, Brazilian Bruno Senna.

Abuja
football fans, on Thursday, condemned the booing of the Super Eagles by
the Lagos crowd during Wednesday’s friendly encounter with the Leone
Stars of Sierra Leone.

Those who spoke
with the News Agency of Nigeria said that jeering at the Nigerian
footballers was inimical to football development. They said that the
attitude could demoralise the players and their handlers. Patrick
Erimona, coach of the Immigration Football Club, and Victoria Nlemigbo,
a football administrator in Abuja, both agreed that the attitude of the
fans was embarrassing. “I think that attitude was what made the Super
Eagles to leave Lagos for Abuja,” said Erimona. “Booing players,
stoning them with pure water after a match, sometimes they will want to
beat them and so on; I don’t think that is good for our football. It is
not encouraging, what we need is to encourage the coaches and players
to do better and not booing them.”

Nlemigbo said:
“During the first half, it was all Eagles they were supporting, then
during the second half, when the game swung in favour of the visiting
team, you were hearing the jeering against us and I don’t think that is
healthy for our own football development. They might say they were
enjoying themselves, but they also helped in demoralising the boys.”

Encouraging result

Michael Atolabi, an
Abuja All-Stars Football Club player, said that the match was a good
one for the Eagles, especially that a home-based player scored the
second goal for Nigeria. He urged the handlers of Nigeria’s national
teams to give more home-based players the opportunity to play for the
team.

Chukwu Alex, also a football player in Abuja, said that the Super
Eagles did their best considering the fact that they were playing
together as a team for the first time. He added that the team would get
better when they play more matches together. The Super Eagles won the
match 2-1 to extend their dominance over the Leone Stars who are ranked
121 as against Nigeria’s 40 on the FIFA world ranking table.

The
2010/2011 National Women’s League season started yesterday with week
two matches played at different locations in the country. However, it
began without a title sponsor. The season which was supposed to have
started last week was postponed until this week for logistics reason
while week one matches have been rescheduled for another day. Danlami
Alanana, head of the women’s unit in the Nigerian Football Federation
gave reasons why the league season had to start without any further
delays.

“There are a lot of
programmes on the agenda. One example is the FIFA Women World Cup which
our footballers will be participating in. We do not want a situation
where we would not be able to complete our programmes because we did
not start early.”

Difficulties on the horizon

Speaking about the
league, which has been hugely anticipated, coaches have said that any
time it is decided they are ready and up to the task to perform their
duty. Daniel Evumena, coach for Delta Queens said that a lack of
sponsor for the league will not deter them from doing what they know
how to do best. “It is normal that you feel bad about the lack of
sponsorship but since nobody has forced us to play or coach then we do
what we have to do with the funds we have without waiting for any one.
If sponsorship comes in the mean time, all well and good but if not
then we make do with what we have.

“And if the funds
we have now gets exhausted then we pack up and move somewhere else.
That is the truth, it may be bitter but it is the truth.”

Another coach Sunday Lawrence, who manages State House Babes FC, is also happy start the League even though it is coming late.

“I have been
coaching the club since 2007, then we were in the amateur league but
last season we were able to enter the Women Professional League and I
want to use this season to consolidate and become a force to be
reckoned with in the league.”

Bunmi Kayode, a player with Delta Queens expressed relief at the new league season finally kicking off.

“I am glad the
league has finally started. We are always prepared for any opportunity.
We have been waiting expectantly for this and we are really happy to
play.”

A disappointing start

Despite the great
expectations about the start of the league season, there has been an
overall sense of disappointment at the way things are being run.

“The thing about sponsorship is that it is too much load for one person to carry alone”, Evumena said.

“That is why it is
difficult because individuals are the ones funding it.” He went on to
explain that in their own case where they are funded by the government
it is still not easy.

“Those of us
(clubs) that are government owned for example may not get money to
travel if we do not move on time to make our request known. That is why
a lot of away games may still not be played.

“In fact the
problem of logistics is a big one for us coaches because it has in a
lot of ways affected us in doing our job effectively.”

Evumena also said it is the duty of the Football Federation to look for sponsors for the league.

“A more lucrative league would bring in more people into it. For now however, the league has to go on, sponsor or no sponsor.”

Alanana encouraged those concerned in the league not to be discouraged because there are lingering hopes of getting a sponsor.

“The coaches and
club owners should be rest assured and do the jobs they have been hired
to do – that is take care of the technical side of things.

“Now that they have
representatives in the NFF (Nigeria Football Federation), they should
leave the job of administration to them who have their best interest at
heart.”

He also said plans are underway to get corporate sponsorship despite the odds.

“You know this
thing cannot be achieved in one day and what we have been doing is to
send proposals to corporate bodies to intervene but we are yet to get
any response from them.”

Controversy tainted elections

The election of
Dilichukwu Onyedinma, as the new Chairman of the National Women League,
has also failed inspired confidence in some quarters. The beginning of
her tenure was dogged by controversy. It all started right after she
beat both Aisha Falode and FIFA women Committee member, Ayo Omidiran to
the top post. It has been alleged that the document used to screen her
indicated that she was a representative of the South East but after
winning, it was confirmed that she had become the FCT’s representative.

Former Super
Falcons assistant coach, Joy Etim said, “What we want is somebody that
would help us to move the game forward.” She added that the way in
which Onyedinma was elected, above other well known personalities in
women football, smells of foul play.

“This new woman is
relatively unknown to many of the coaches. If she does not know the
coaches and they don’t know her, how would she know the people she is
supposed to work with?” Etim asked.

Evumena however
believes that no matter how the new chairman got there, the important
thing is her ability to deliver the goods.

“I was very much
part of the struggle for a proper representation of the women in the
league and I am glad it paid off. I know Dilichukwu Onyedinma very
well; she has been with us for quite a while.”

He also said representation goes beyond getting sponsorship.

“We in the league
want somebody who understands us. It is good to get sponsorship but
more than that, somebody who has been in the system before would be
able to understand the issues we are dealing with and she would know
how she ought to address them. She has shared in the same problems we
have because she has administered a club.”

Onyedinma is the
secretary of Abuja-based FCT Queens, and has been in the system even
since the 1990s when she started out with the now defunct Okene Babes.

Lawrence, on his part, advised all interested parties to adopt a ‘wait and see’ attitude.

“I am acquainted with her but I do not know her well enough to say what she can or cannot do.”

Kayode shares the same sentiment, “I do not know our new
representative but I expect that she should deliver. She should know
that all eyes will be on her, waiting expectantly for what she has to
offer and what will be delivered. She is coming at a time when the
league needs help and she must do all that she can to see to it she at
least makes headway with all the problems plaguing the league.”

A
fortnight ago, Ekigho Ehiosun was a relatively unknown player plying
his trade in the Nigerian Premier League with Warri Wolves.

But over the space
of two weeks, the 21 year-old has gone from being just another
unheralded player from the Nigerian domestic scene to arguably the
biggest name in the league.

First came his
marvellous hat-trick in last weekend’s league victory over Sharks, the
first to be recorded by a player in the ongoing season, then followed a
spate of injury-induced withdrawals by some of the country’s Europe
based players which saw Siasia turn his gaze in the direction of the
league’s leading scorer.

Then came
Wednesday’s game against Sierra Leone which saw Ehiosun grabbing a
place on the substitutes’ bench as the only fit striker after Obinna
Nsofor also got ruled out of the game with an ankle injury.

Probably, that is
where the graduate of petrochemical engineering would have remained, at
least for the greater part of the game had Emmanuel Emenike not picked
up a knock during the game.

As a result of
that, Ehiosun was thrown into the fray on the orders of Siasia in the
40th minute. Four minutes later, he had evaded his marker and slotted
the ball into the net on his debut.

Dream start

“Up until this
moment I still can’t fully comprehend what has happened,” Ehiosun told
NEXT on Thursday night. “It feels like I’m dreaming but to God be the
glory.

“I made my debut
for the national team and I got to score. There is a wonderful feeling
to it all and everyone’s happy for me; my friends, my teammates and my
family, especially my mum. She is so happy for me.” But how was he able
to overcome the nerves that accompany such moments considering his
relative inexperience.

“Actually, when I
joined the team, coach Samson Siasia made everything easy for me. And
thank God for the league match I got to play before Wednesday’s match,”
he continued.

“Whenever he saw
me, even when talking to the older players, he would stop whatever it
is that he was doing and chant ‘my highest goalscorer, my highest
goalscorer’. They will then ask coach what he meant by his remarks at
which point he would tell them that ‘this is the highest goalscorer in
the league, the guy that scored a hat-trick last week.” “As a result,
they were all friendly to me and encouraged me. On match day, even the
guys on the bench like (John Obi) Mikel and (Vincent) Enyeama were
doing their best to encourage me which was quite helpful because so
many things were going on in my head at the same time.

“I was nervous but
the players were all friendly and would tell me that I could do it;
that they had seen what I was capable of and have faith in me. That I
should just take my time.

“Those words gave
me the courage to go out there and thank God, it went well for me
because after I scored Osaze (Odemwingie) came to me and told me that
it was a great goal.

“When you get such
words of encouragement from players that you look up to, you want to
keep doing your best to live up to their expectations.

Ehiosun is however
not prepared to rest on his modest accomplishment as he believes
there’s still room for improvement, even as he hopes to get another
Super Eagles call-up.

“There is still
room for improvement. I don’t believe I have arrived yet,” he
emphasised. “I got a chance to fulfil my dream because some of the
established players were not around. But I believe I will still get
another opportunity to play for my country, if not now, then it will be
in the not too distant future.” Regarding his immediate plans though,
Ehiosun intends to keep tormenting defenders in the Nigerian league and
has set his sights on Ahmed Musa’s 18 goals league record,

even though Musa,
who now plays in the Dutch league, has practically pleaded with him to
leave his record intact, at least for the foreseeable future.

“When we were going
for lunch before the match, he came up to me and jokingly pleaded with
me not to break his record; that was the only thing that accords him
recognition in Nigeria,” recalled Ehiosun.

“Of course, I told
him that I won’t break his record but if I keep scoring on a regular
basis, I might just equal it or even get to surpass it.” And if that
happens, it won’t be long before Ehiosun says goodbye to the Nigerian
league.

But Ehiosun, a fan
of his local Warri Wolves, isn’t in a rush to move to one of the more
established European leagues, not even if Manchester United, the other
club he supports, comes calling.

“It is my dream to
take my game to one of the top championships but I don’t need to
overshoot my dream, as I believe there is time for everything.

“So starting out in one of the Scandinavian countries won’t be a bad
idea, at least that way, I can gather experience and know if I’m ripe
for the big stage,” he added.

It has been four days since the Super Eagles defeated the Leone
Stars of Sierra Leone in Lagos. The game was officially the team’s first outing
under current helmsman Samson Siasia.

Though it was a friendly game ahead of the more important 2012
Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia, which comes up at the end of
next month, last Wednesday’s encounter at the Teslim Balogun Stadium afforded
Siasia an opportunity to get to meet the core of the national team’s top
players – as he sets about the task of re-establishing the Super Eagles as one
of world football’s top sides.

Not a simple task to go about considering the depth Nigerian
football has fallen to after years of neglect and mismanagement by the
country’s sports authorities. The team, which was once rated as high as number
five in the world ranked as low as 82 in November 1999.

The team has risen to international prominence in the 90s,
winning the a second Africa Cup of Nations title in 1994 and a second round
appearance at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups. Since then, the team had been
on a steady decline and it has not won the Africa Cup of Nations title since
then. Also, securing qualification for the World Cup has become a herculean task
for the team; talk more of making it beyond the first round.

The task before Siasia who, after seeing his plans to take on
Guatemala hit the rocks, got a hastily arranged game against Sierra Leone to
serve as his first game in charge of the Super Eagles.

After 90 minutes of football, Siasia’s injury-plagued Super
Eagles side ran out with a slim 2-1 win over the visitors.

But the margin of victory should and ought to have been much
wider but for the profligacy of the Nigerian forward line marshalled by Peter
Utaka, Ahmed Musa and Emmanuel Emenike, who between them have less than a
handful of caps for the Eagles with the latter making his national team debut.

Inexperienced but
spirited

Emenike wasn’t the only debutant in the side. There was also the
Italy-based duo of Michael Odibe and Joel Obi, as well as the Nigerian-based
pair of Ekigho Ehiosun of Warri Wolves and Heartland’s Julius Ubido who both
came into the fray as substitutes.

On the substitutes’ bench, albeit undressed for the game was
another Italy-based midfielder Obiora Nwankwo who couldn’t shake off a thigh
injury thus missing a chance to make his Super Eagles debut on the night.

There was also on the bench the Nigerian-based duo of Osas Okoro
and goalkeeper Bassey Akpan who had both featured in the recent past for the
Super Eagles B side.

Such was the level of inexperience on the night as Siasia was
forced to hand debut caps to as many players as he could, no thanks to the
spate of injuries to some of the earlier invited players.

Even Heartland’s Chibuzor Okonkwo and Holland-based Femi Ajilore
who were in the starting line-up, had only been capped a handful of times while
Israel-based goalie Dele Aiyenugba, although a regular fixture in the Super
Eagles setup for close to seven years, has limited international experience.

And when Osaze Odemwingie, the most experienced member of the
Nigerian forward line finally got the ball into the back of the net midway
through the second half, it was wrongly ruled out for offside.

That notwithstanding, the Super Eagles outplayed their opponents
in every department of the game, particularly in the first half before a series
of substitutions resulted in the team losing its balance, concentration and
structure in the second half which resulted in the Leone Stars’ consolatory
goal.

A section of fans at the stadium failed to realise this fact and resorted to
booing the Eagles after the Leone Stars scored. Perhaps, it was just their own
peculiar way of showing their disenchantment at the FA’s scheduling of a Super
Eagles match in Lagos after seven years. They obviously forgot the purpose for
setting up friendly matches in the first instance. At the end of the day, the
Super Eagles earned a deserved victory, and Siasia got off to a promising
start.