1st September, 2015
Taiwo Adelu
Former Nigerian international, Tijani Babangida has given assurance that the Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh, will pass his first test as the handler of the senior national team when Nigeria battle Tanzania in weekend’s 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match.
The former Super Eagles player, who was appointed as a Special Adviser on Technical Matters to Oliseh by Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, noted that the Eagles’ coach is prepared for his first test and all indications at the ongoing camping for the match point to the direction of victory for him.
Babangida is optimistic the Eagles will beat Tanzania when both sides clash in Dar es Salam.
According to Babangida, who played alongside Oliseh at top Dutch club, Ajax Amsterdam, the new Super Eagles will return to winning ways under Oliseh.
“We are in a new dispensation in the Eagles and for sure we need time, but am 100 percent sure Eagles will soon rule African football under Oliseh. I believe the Eagles will do well under the new coach. Oliseh knows everything about the job. He had played in the UEFA Champions League, FIFA World Cup, Africa Cup of Nations and he knows about team work.
“There is no doubt that the match against Tanzania is our first test, which we’ll pass. After this, we will take each game with caution as they come. I want to assure Nigerians that it’s victory all the way,” Babangida said.
Nigeria are gunning to return to the continental competition which they missed last time, and already the Eagles have started the qualifying series on a promising note, beating Chad 2-0 in their first game.
Meanwhile, the NFF has said the delegation of Super Eagles for the match against the Taifa Stars of Tanzania will fly out of Abuja at 3pm Thursday.
Arrival at the Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam, will be at 10pm (8pm Nigerian time) of the same day.
Nigeria’s delegation will be made up of 23 players, technical officials, a number of members of NFF Executive Committee and management staff of the football body, some representatives of the media, football stakeholders and members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club.
Both countries have not met at senior level since December 1980, but there have been clashes at junior level, and an African Women Championship qualifying fixture, in recent years.
That December, 35 years ago, the Taifa Stars had good reasons to hope for an upset when they held reigning African champions Green Eagles to a 1-1 draw in Lagos in the first leg of a 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture. But two first half goals by John Chidozie and Christian Nwokocha in Dar es Salaam two weeks later sent Tanzania packing from the race.
In 2011, Nigeria’s U-23 lost 0-1 to their Tanzanian counterparts in a 2012 Olympics qualifier away, but thrashed the visitors 3-0 in Benin City. The following year, the Flying Eagles also sent Tanzania’s U-20, known as Ngorongoro Heroes, out of the race for the 2013 African Youth Championship.
Last year, the Super Falcons eliminated Tanzania’s senior women from the race to the 9th African Women Championship in Namibia.
The first –ever meeting between both countries was on 6 July, 1972 – a scoreless draw in a friendly in Dar es Salaam. Four months later, Nigeria’s Eagles edged two quick friendlies 2-1 and 3-2 in Benin City and Lagos respectively, and then achieved another 2-1 win over the Taifa Stars during the 2nd All Africa Games Nigeria hosted in January 1973.
In February 1976, both countries played out a 0-0 draw in a friendly in Dar es Salaam on the Green Eagles’ way into Ethiopia for the Africa Cup of Nations. And in March 1980, Nigeria won the opening match of the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (for which they eventually emerged champions) 3-1 in Lagos.