Dubai: The surprise 2-0 win against Iceland on Friday may have warmed the hearts of Nigerian football fans, but a former ‘Super Eagle’ feels they still have a long way to go if the African nation has to emulate the best performance of teams from the continent.
Three African countries — Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2002) had gone as far as the quarter-finals of World Cup in the past.
Emeka Ezeugo. a defensive midfielder who represented Nigeria in 1988 Summer Olympics and then from 1992-’94 and was a member of their ‘94 World Cup squad, told Gulf News in an interview: “We are delighted that Ahmad Musa & Co now have three points in the bag. They didn’t get off to a good start, but they are back in the business and have breathing space before the next game against Argentina.”
A qualified coach from US Soccer Federation (USSF) since his retirement who is now based there, Ezeugo said the team needs to believe in themselves in order to progress beyond the first round. “The team didn’t play particularly well. They did not look as organised as they should be, especially in the area of contesting the high balls. We were also very vulnerable on dead-ball situations. We still got a long way to go before we can say we are here to win the Cup,” he said.
The perception of an African nation going the distance in an event like the World Cup may sound like a long shot, but Musa, the leading striker of the Nigerian team, did not seem short on belief either.
Musa, who struck two stunning goals to sink Iceland, promised to do the same to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Tuesday’s Group D showdown. “I think scoring against Argentina isn’t that difficult for me,” he smiled after his Man of the Match performance in Volgograd. “We know the importance of the game. It’s do or die.”
The Leicester City striker, currently on loan at CSKA Moscow, became the first Nigerian to score at two World Cups as he scored both goals in Nigeria’s group stage 3-2 defeat to Argentina in Porto Alegre, Brazil, four years ago.
“I can remember four years ago when Messi played in Brazil I scored two goals,” he said in the post-match press briefing.
While the African countries have never made it past the last eight stages of the World Cup, the Asian countries made it to the semi-finals only twice — with South Korea being one as hosts in 2002.
Asked if ever the divide between these two continents and Europe can be bridged, Ezeugo did not mince words. “The divide can never be bridged because of the corruption so deeply embedded in African and Asian football. A cartel runs Asian and African football and they operate in tandem with CAF and AFC and development of football is non-existent in these two continents,” he said.
Driving home his point, he continued: “In Nigeria, the league championship is paid for by a top bidding club and they hand them the trophy and while representing the country in continental tournament, they get knocked out in the opening round. The game has been deteriorating tremendously and Fifa have never bothered to use the independent organisations or stakeholders of football that are not in local football association’s control.”
