The above have been the defining characteristics of the on-going FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in the South American nation of Colombia.
Reaching Colombia was a different tale altogeher, because it is not exactly an easy ride, or easy rides. But we’re here now and the important thing is that our U-20 National Team, Flying Eagles, is lifting everyone’s hearts.
There has been a lot of grace in the manner the organizing committee has conducted events at this championship, and we must recall that the Final Draw Ceremony in Cartagena in April benefitted from the same elegance and sense of history and the important.
The lush turfs of Bogota, Cali, Manizales, Pereira, Armenia, Barranquilla, Cartagena and Medellin have been pleasing to the eye, and have somehow helped the glamorous football that have been on display in the past eight days.
Although the presumed ‘Group of Death’, group F has produced a paltry four (4) goals in four matches, the Flying Eagles and their Saudi Arabian counterparts have matched the rainfall here with goals.
Simple statistics show that as a team, the Flying Eagles have scored more goals in this competition that all eight teams in groups B and F put together!
In group B, where another African representative, Cameroon, is housed, all the four teams have scored only FIVE goals in four matches played in Cali. And in group F, where we have Argentina, Mexico, North Korea and England, only FOUR goals have been scored in four matches – three of these by the Mexican team in a fit of fury against the Koreans on Monday.
While the Cameroonians, reigning African vice-champions, have been quite a sight with their rugged hairstyles, they have failed to captivate with their football. Their tournament has been underscored by the un-necessary red card earned late in the game against Portugal.
The Malians have lost their two games by two goals each, failing to score, but because this is a 24-team tournament and 16 are needed for the second round, they could still reach the knock-out run, depending on the outcome of their last group phase tie against former colonial master France last night. Same for Cameroon, who however had a job on their hands against Uruguay, also last night.
The Egyptians have truly impressed and deserve their place in the Round of 16. To have done so well against Brazil (taking over the game after Brazil ‘harrassed’ them for the first quarter-hour) meant they have the stuff to go far in this competition.
One would have thought, and rightly so, that the political turmoil in Egypt would have hampered the team’s preparation or temperament going to Colombia. Neither has been affected, and in truth, the two teams that Africa can look forward to at this championship are Nigeria and Egypt.
Incidentally, at the last FIFA U-20 World Cup finals to hold on South American soil, it was Egypt and another West African side, Ghana, that did African proud. Whie the Black Satellites got to the final, losing to a Javier Saviola-inspired host Argentina, Egypt finished third at that competition to record the best joint effort by the continent.
The Black Satellites are not here, to defend the trophy they won in Egypt two years ago. But the Flying Eagles are here, and Ghanaian and West African interests are fully protected.
Heading to the Estadio Centenaro in the team bus on Wednesday night, I poked to Chairman of NFF Technical Committee, Barrister Chris Green that the Flying Eagles are here to defend the World Cup for Ghana!
Surely, the temperament of the Flying Eagles and their general handling have helped to buoy confidence in the camp. When the Saudis scored six goals against Guatemala in the earlier game on Wednesday, I heard Coach Obuh telling his boys to go there and return to the top of the table by all means.
This, they did elegantly, with grace and with all sense of fairplay. In the second half, the Croatians showed their frustration with some cynical tackles, and defender Ganiu Ogungbe is in a race to be fit for today’s run-out in Pereira.
Pereira is another beautiful city in this South American nation and tonight’s classic between the two teams at the top of group D should make the trip worth the while. Both high-scoring teams met in a friendly match in Dubai in March – the game ended 2-2.
Barrister Green told me on Wednesday evening, as we headed to the hotel from the stadium, that what he loved about these Flying Eagles is their ability to score goals. I agreed with him.
In two matches, there have been 10 goals in all, with no player scoring more than two. Even defender Terna Suswam has been among the goals, as has been midfielder Abdul Ajagun. Olanrewaju Kayode has two under his shorts, as Ahmed Musa, Edafe Egbedi and Uche Nwofor.
Nwofor’s height was a problem for the Croatians when he came in during the second half on Wednesday, and Coach Obuh must have realized that. When you play opposition with tall defenders, you have someone who can get the better of them. Nwofor’s first two touches resulted in two goals. Brilliant!
Another good thing is the fact that there are still persons like Sani Emmanuel, Bright Ejike and Sani Tahir, who can also spin things around the middle and the opposition’s goal area.
The argument about some players opting to observe the Ramadan month should not extend because this is a personal thing. Ramadan does not mean that you should sit down or lie down somewhere for the entire day before you go without food and water. It is not a severe punishment. If you are used to it, as the players in question are, it does not even affect you adversely, as has been shown in the performances of Ahmed Musa, Ramon Azeez and the others concerned.
With a Round of 16 ticket in our hands, we strive to retain leadership of group D today in order to return to Armenia for our next match on Wednesday. Armenia has become a home away from home for the Flying Eagles with the huge support that the team now has, the hotel that the players and technical crew are now very much used to and the friendly people attached to the team here. This has somewhat made up for the absence, so far, of members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club.
While trumpet-blowing is not the stock-in-trade of the present NFF administration, one must say that the goal-rious run in Colombia has not come out of the blue. The team was well-prepared for the tournament, and the only continent it did not train or play matches before this competition remains Oceania!
The Flying Eagles started out in Abuja, with the fulcrum being the U-17 team that reached the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup on home soil two years ago. Two phases of camping, and then the team traveled to Libya for matches against then proposed host nation of the African Youth Championship. From there, it went to Turkey, and spent four (4) weeks. From Turkey, the team flew to Dubai (UAE) to play two matches against Saudi Arabia and Egypt. From there, the team returned home, to Port Harcourt when the African Youth Championship was postponed.
After spending one month in Port Harcourt, the team went to win the African Youth Championship in South Africa. On return, the group went back to Port Harcourt, and from there to Faro, Portugal, before a Four-Nation tournament in Panama.
While some other factors are capable of influencing the result of a football match or a tournament, adequate preparation can never be discounted. Our teams have continued to benefit from adequate preparation for important international matches and championships.
While some persons were beating their own drums in Lagos the other day, nobody took them serious because Nigerian ball fans are aware that the National Women’s Team, Super Falcons spent four (4) weeks in Austria to prepare for the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany.
The National Beach Soccer Team is undergoing intensive training programme in Badagry and will also spend two (2) weeks in Faro before flying to Italy for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in September. From available resources, we will always ensure our teams are very much prepared to take on the world at all times.
Still Talking About Ghana...
Barrister Green and myself have agreed that the Flying Eagles are here to ‘defend’ the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the absence of rivals and regional mates Black Satellites of Ghana, who lifted the trophy in Egypt two years ago. But we have also agreed that in London on Tuesday, there would not be too many ‘friendly’ touches on the turf in the international friendly between the Super Eagles and the Black Stars at Vicarage Road.
It is four-and-half years since the Black Stars humiliated our Eagles at the Brentford ground, also in London, in another friendly match. This, we must avenge by all fair means on Tuesday. And victory becomes non-negotiable when you remember that the Super Eagles have not beaten their Ghanaian counterparts in the past five years.
Coach Samson Siasia has departed Colombia to go and wait for his charges in London. There should be no half measures. Everything would be done to ensure that our country’s reputation is salvaged to an extent on Tuesday night in London.
Tough Draws Don’t Kill...
I was somewhere between Europe and America (on my way to Colombia) when the Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was made in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
There have been talks of tough luck for some top-ranked African teams, including Cote d’Ivoire (who must play Morocco), Ghana (who must survive Sudan and Zambia), Algeria (who have Mali to contend with), Egypt (who have to play Guinea – remember them?), Cameroon (who must contend with DR Congo) and Burkina Faso (who have Gabon and Niger on their hands).
As for the Super Eagles, Malawi is known while Kenya must overcome Seychelles while Namibia must beat Djibouti to be sure of their places in group F.
We must take no chances. It is not going to be easy because every match must be taken like the final qualifier itself. And in a way, it is. Only ONE team will emerge from each of the 10 GROUPS, meaning that there would be no opportunity to recover after a fumble/tumble.
Then, in the final round, a home-and-away fixture against another group winner. In essence, it could be Nigeria against Ghana, or against Cote d’Ivoire, or against Egypt, for the final race to Brazil. We are back to the seventies and eighties when it was so difficult for teams to qualify for the World Cup after a slip.
But I believe that just as the saying goes about tough times (tough times don’t last but tough people do), tough draws don’t kill, but weak teams kill themselves.
The above have been the defining characteristics of the on-going FIFA U-20 World Cup finals in the South American nation of Colombia.
Reaching Colombia was a different tale altogeher, because it is not exactly an easy ride, or easy rides. But we’re here now and the important thing is that our U-20 National Team, Flying Eagles, is lifting everyone’s hearts.
There has been a lot of grace in the manner the organizing committee has conducted events at this championship, and we must recall that the Final Draw Ceremony in Cartagena in April benefitted from the same elegance and sense of history and the important.
The lush turfs of Bogota, Cali, Manizales, Pereira, Armenia, Barranquilla, Cartagena and Medellin have been pleasing to the eye, and have somehow helped the glamorous football that have been on display in the past eight days.
Although the presumed ‘Group of Death’, group F has produced a paltry four (4) goals in four matches, the Flying Eagles and their Saudi Arabian counterparts have matched the rainfall here with goals.
Simple statistics show that as a team, the Flying Eagles have scored more goals in this competition that all eight teams in groups B and F put together!
In group B, where another African representative, Cameroon, is housed, all the four teams have scored only FIVE goals in four matches played in Cali. And in group F, where we have Argentina, Mexico, North Korea and England, only FOUR goals have been scored in four matches – three of these by the Mexican team in a fit of fury against the Koreans on Monday.
While the Cameroonians, reigning African vice-champions, have been quite a sight with their rugged hairstyles, they have failed to captivate with their football. Their tournament has been underscored by the un-necessary red card earned late in the game against Portugal.
The Malians have lost their two games by two goals each, failing to score, but because this is a 24-team tournament and 16 are needed for the second round, they could still reach the knock-out run, depending on the outcome of their last group phase tie against former colonial master France last night. Same for Cameroon, who however had a job on their hands against Uruguay, also last night.
The Egyptians have truly impressed and deserve their place in the Round of 16. To have done so well against Brazil (taking over the game after Brazil ‘harrassed’ them for the first quarter-hour) meant they have the stuff to go far in this competition.
One would have thought, and rightly so, that the political turmoil in Egypt would have hampered the team’s preparation or temperament going to Colombia. Neither has been affected, and in truth, the two teams that Africa can look forward to at this championship are Nigeria and Egypt.
Incidentally, at the last FIFA U-20 World Cup finals to hold on South American soil, it was Egypt and another West African side, Ghana, that did African proud. Whie the Black Satellites got to the final, losing to a Javier Saviola-inspired host Argentina, Egypt finished third at that competition to record the best joint effort by the continent.
The Black Satellites are not here, to defend the trophy they won in Egypt two years ago. But the Flying Eagles are here, and Ghanaian and West African interests are fully protected.
Heading to the Estadio Centenaro in the team bus on Wednesday night, I poked to Chairman of NFF Technical Committee, Barrister Chris Green that the Flying Eagles are here to defend the World Cup for Ghana!
Surely, the temperament of the Flying Eagles and their general handling have helped to buoy confidence in the camp. When the Saudis scored six goals against Guatemala in the earlier game on Wednesday, I heard Coach Obuh telling his boys to go there and return to the top of the table by all means.
This, they did elegantly, with grace and with all sense of fairplay. In the second half, the Croatians showed their frustration with some cynical tackles, and defender Ganiu Ogungbe is in a race to be fit for today’s run-out in Pereira.
Pereira is another beautiful city in this South American nation and tonight’s classic between the two teams at the top of group D should make the trip worth the while. Both high-scoring teams met in a friendly match in Dubai in March – the game ended 2-2.
Barrister Green told me on Wednesday evening, as we headed to the hotel from the stadium, that what he loved about these Flying Eagles is their ability to score goals. I agreed with him.
In two matches, there have been 10 goals in all, with no player scoring more than two. Even defender Terna Suswam has been among the goals, as has been midfielder Abdul Ajagun. Olanrewaju Kayode has two under his shorts, as Ahmed Musa, Edafe Egbedi and Uche Nwofor.
Nwofor’s height was a problem for the Croatians when he came in during the second half on Wednesday, and Coach Obuh must have realized that. When you play opposition with tall defenders, you have someone who can get the better of them. Nwofor’s first two touches resulted in two goals. Brilliant!
Another good thing is the fact that there are still persons like Sani Emmanuel, Bright Ejike and Sani Tahir, who can also spin things around the middle and the opposition’s goal area.
The argument about some players opting to observe the Ramadan month should not extend because this is a personal thing. Ramadan does not mean that you should sit down or lie down somewhere for the entire day before you go without food and water. It is not a severe punishment. If you are used to it, as the players in question are, it does not even affect you adversely, as has been shown in the performances of Ahmed Musa, Ramon Azeez and the others concerned.
With a Round of 16 ticket in our hands, we strive to retain leadership of group D today in order to return to Armenia for our next match on Wednesday. Armenia has become a home away from home for the Flying Eagles with the huge support that the team now has, the hotel that the players and technical crew are now very much used to and the friendly people attached to the team here. This has somewhat made up for the absence, so far, of members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club.
While trumpet-blowing is not the stock-in-trade of the present NFF administration, one must say that the goal-rious run in Colombia has not come out of the blue. The team was well-prepared for the tournament, and the only continent it did not train or play matches before this competition remains Oceania!
The Flying Eagles started out in Abuja, with the fulcrum being the U-17 team that reached the final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup on home soil two years ago. Two phases of camping, and then the team traveled to Libya for matches against then proposed host nation of the African Youth Championship. From there, it went to Turkey, and spent four (4) weeks. From Turkey, the team flew to Dubai (UAE) to play two matches against Saudi Arabia and Egypt. From there, the team returned home, to Port Harcourt when the African Youth Championship was postponed.
After spending one month in Port Harcourt, the team went to win the African Youth Championship in South Africa. On return, the group went back to Port Harcourt, and from there to Faro, Portugal, before a Four-Nation tournament in Panama.
While some other factors are capable of influencing the result of a football match or a tournament, adequate preparation can never be discounted. Our teams have continued to benefit from adequate preparation for important international matches and championships.
While some persons were beating their own drums in Lagos the other day, nobody took them serious because Nigerian ball fans are aware that the National Women’s Team, Super Falcons spent four (4) weeks in Austria to prepare for the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany.
The National Beach Soccer Team is undergoing intensive training programme in Badagry and will also spend two (2) weeks in Faro before flying to Italy for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in September. From available resources, we will always ensure our teams are very much prepared to take on the world at all times.
Still Talking About Ghana...
Barrister Green and myself have agreed that the Flying Eagles are here to ‘defend’ the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the absence of rivals and regional mates Black Satellites of Ghana, who lifted the trophy in Egypt two years ago. But we have also agreed that in London on Tuesday, there would not be too many ‘friendly’ touches on the turf in the international friendly between the Super Eagles and the Black Stars at Vicarage Road.
It is four-and-half years since the Black Stars humiliated our Eagles at the Brentford ground, also in London, in another friendly match. This, we must avenge by all fair means on Tuesday. And victory becomes non-negotiable when you remember that the Super Eagles have not beaten their Ghanaian counterparts in the past five years.
Coach Samson Siasia has departed Colombia to go and wait for his charges in London. There should be no half measures. Everything would be done to ensure that our country’s reputation is salvaged to an extent on Tuesday night in London.
Tough Draws Don’t Kill...
I was somewhere between Europe and America (on my way to Colombia) when the Preliminary Draw for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was made in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
There have been talks of tough luck for some top-ranked African teams, including Cote d’Ivoire (who must play Morocco), Ghana (who must survive Sudan and Zambia), Algeria (who have Mali to contend with), Egypt (who have to play Guinea – remember them?), Cameroon (who must contend with DR Congo) and Burkina Faso (who have Gabon and Niger on their hands).
As for the Super Eagles, Malawi is known while Kenya must overcome Seychelles while Namibia must beat Djibouti to be sure of their places in group F.
We must take no chances. It is not going to be easy because every match must be taken like the final qualifier itself. And in a way, it is. Only ONE team will emerge from each of the 10 GROUPS, meaning that there would be no opportunity to recover after a fumble/tumble.
Then, in the final round, a home-and-away fixture against another group winner. In essence, it could be Nigeria against Ghana, or against Cote d’Ivoire, or against Egypt, for the final race to Brazil. We are back to the seventies and eighties when it was so difficult for teams to qualify for the World Cup after a slip.
But I believe that just as the saying goes about tough times (tough times don’t last but tough people do), tough draws don’t kill, but weak teams kill themselves.
