Reigning African champions, Super Eagles of Nigeria began their 2015 Cup of African Nations qualifying campaign on a poor level following a shock 3-2 defeat to Congo at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar last Saturday.
Just when the Nigerian teeming fans were expecting a turnaround in fortunes of the Super Eagles they somehow contrived to dash those expectations.
A boring 0-0 draw ensured that the Super Eagles are win-less after two matches in the 2015 African Nations Cup qualifiers.
Time is running out, and with just four matches left in the qualifying series, the African Champions are in danger of not making it to the Nations Cup in Morocco.
It is early days though, but the signs are dark that the African champions are struggling to match up with the early lead in Group A.
Having lost their first home match against Congo last Saturday, the general belief for many Nigerians was that the clash against South Africa would recompense for that slip.
However, the game against the Bafana Bafana confirmed that the previous match was not a slip, rather confirmed a clear picture of how ordinary Keshi’s team has been.
The draw left Nigeria with just one point in third place behind Congo, who has six points, South Africa, four points in first and second positions respectively.
It is a dangerous situation for the reigning African champion, but it then means that they will have to win their remaining four matches to be able to book their qualification, and its back to the same old “permutations and combination” that greets every other national team involvement in any tournament.
Could the crisis rocking the Nigerian Football Federation be a distraction to the national team, leading to their poor performance in two games?
Tade Azeez, vice chairman Lagos State Football Association (LSFA) shares his opinion on this:
“It is not unconnected, the truth is football is teamwork, it takes ninety minutes to play a game of football, and everybody has a role to play.
“Are the coaches and players mind at rest? Are they aware how important these matches are?
“The players need to be informed of how crucial these matches are, not to assemble players and tell them to play.
The vice president, Nigeria Referee Association, is optimistic that Nigeria will make it to Morocco 2015.
“If Congo can defeat Nigeria at home, what stops Eagles from beating Congo in their home too? It is football, and its not over until it’s over. We don’t have to write the Eagles off.”
He also called for more friendlies for the Eagles to keep them in good shape and form.
He advised Stephen Keshi not to start experimenting with new players.
“This is not the time for the coach to start experimenting with players, but to get serious about the business.
“Keshi needs to improve on his technical ability, the game is won and lost on the bench,” he added.
“During the last Nations’ Cup and the World Cup, Keshi did well, but he needs to improve and up his game technically and pick the best available player,” he added.
Austin Eguavoen, an ex-international, has called on Nigerians not to write off the Super Eagles after their 0-0 draw with South Africa in a 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifier played in Cape Town on Wednesday.
But Eguavoen believes that it would be a wake-up call for both the players and the coaches as he warned that the result should not be used to judge the technical ability of Coach Stephen Keshi.
“It is unfortunate that the match ended in that manner but we should still be hopeful because we still have more games to play and I feel the players should not also be condemned, many factors worked for the South Africans and I believe that they must have learned lessons that will bring out their best next time they return to play,” Eguavoen said.
“They need our support at a time like this and I don’t think we should write them off. We have been in situation like this before and we still qualified, I am not saying they have done the best but I want you to know that it is not over yet and I believe we can still qualify with the remaining matches,” he opined.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles will return in October to play Sudan in a must-win home and away affair.
Anthony Nlebem
