Eagles Battle Ghana For Pride In London

Samson Siasia and his Super Eagles will have their hands full tonight as they either redeem their image or sink further in shame when they face Black Stars of Ghana in an international friendly match in London.

The Nigerian team were stopped from playing in the Africa Cup of Nations billed for Gabon/Equatorial Guinea next year, after they played a 2-2 draw against Guinea in a crucial tie in which they needed an outright victory. Condemnation has trailed the exit from the Nations Cup race by Nigerians, who are calling for the sack of the Eagles’ chief coach and the disbandment of the team.

Siasia is, however, saying that beating the Black Stars tonight could help appease fans of one of the powerhouses of African football.

“A win (against Ghana) will calm down what is going on. It will actually save my job,” Siasia said.

Secretary General of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Musa Ahmadu, said it will be honourable for the Eagles to beat Ghana as the country’s pride is at stake. Ahmadu said if it were possible for the NFF, it would have called for the cancellation of the tie in the wake of the exit from the Nations Cup race.

According to him, “we just need to go ahead with the match, but with the situation, we must beat Ghana because our honour is at stake.”

The match which was earlier fixed for 9 August was postponed due to the unrest in London. The match was expected to hold at Watford’s Vicarage Road Stadium, but police strongly advised the organisers against allowing the match to go ahead due to violent protests that had greeted many parts of London as a result of a killing by the police. Eagles will now have to use the friendly encounter to gain the confidence that Nigerians have lost in them due to their dismal performance against the Syli Nationale of Guinea.

The Black Stars of Ghana beat the Super Eagles of Nigeria 4-1 in their last international friendly in 2007. From 1973 to 2007, a total of six friendly matches have been played between the two countries.

—Taiwo Adelu