Keshi
Eureka!…Mikel Obi hugs Ex-Eagle star, Kalu
From: Diana Okon-Effiong, Calabar
Football fans on Saturday defied the heavy rain at the UJ Esuene Stadium to sing and dance after the Super Eagles defeated Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia 2-0 to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The fans trooped into the pitch immediately after the referee’s final whistle, despite repeated warnings by the Master of Ceremony and besieged the players with excitement. Policemen at the stadium tried to curtail the surging crowd but they overpowered, as jubilant fans made their way to the State Box.
They repeatedly chanted the names of Kanu Nwankwo and Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River, apparently in appreciation of their contributions to the team’s success. The celebration was occasionally spiced with fireworks which electrified the entire arena.
One of the fans, Asuquo Edet, said he could not hide his joy following Nigeria’s qualification for the World Cup. Edet, however, stressed the need for structured preparations to make the team stronger to enable the players to face the challenges ahead.
“This is a sweet victory and I am happy to be associated with it. I urge the football authorities to prepare the team very well before the World Cup proper,” he said.
Another fan, Ndubuisi Kanu, who said that he came to Calabar from Aba to watch the team, stressed that he was not disappointed with the outcome of the match.
“I was not disappointed at all; the boys have made me and all Nigerians proud and I wish them well,” he said.
One of the sponsors of the Super Eagles, Guinness Nigeria Plc., offered free drinks to the fans outside the stadium. Nigeria’s midfielder Ogenyi Onazi, who was voted the Most Valuable Player of the match, won the prize of 5,000 dollars, while “Tom Tom’’ gave out 2,000 dollars for each of the two goals scored by the Nigerian team.
Earlier, Ethiopia’s coach, Sewnet Bishaw, had congratulated Nigeria for qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, even though he still complained about officiating. Bishaw told sportswriters, shortly after his team lost 0-2 to Nigeria, that the Super Eagles showed class and used experience to overcome his team. The loss in the second leg game of the final round play-off gave the Eagles a 4-1 aggregate win.
“As a team, we came here to win. But we could not use the chances that came our way. We had opportunities but Nigeria’s coach Stephen Keshi knows how to organise his team. Keshi used more of experienced foreign-based players and it worked for Nigeria,” he said.
Bishaw however blamed the referee for not awarding penalty kicks to his side on two occasions during the game.
“It was an unfair decision against us,” he said.
The Eagles scored through Victor Moses who converted a penalty kick in the 19th minute while substitute Obinna Nsofor scored the second goal in the 81st minute through a free kick.
On his part, Keshi, while speaking at the post-match conference, dedicated the victory to Nigerians for their support to the team.
“I particularly thank President Goodluck Jonathan for bringing good luck to the team and Gov. Liyel Imoke for the wonderful assistance to the team. I thank the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) for their wonderful support that made us to qualify,” he said.
Keshi however said the team was not complacent in the game against Ethiopia. “We were not complacent but I noticed that my players showed anxiety to qualify.”
Keshi said the allegation by the Ethiopian coach about biased officiating against his team was the opinion of the coach.
“We beat them in Addis Ababa and beat them again in Calabar. The game has been played and a winner emerged,” he said.
In a related development, Gov. Liyel Imoke of Cross River pledged to give houses to the victorious Golden Eaglets players and their handlers. He made the pledge when held a reception for the winners of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the Government House in Calabar.
The governor said the houses would be located within the state’s new housing estate in Akpabuyo Local Government Area. Imoke said that it was necessary to break away from the norm of giving cash rewards to players and officials, adding that the properties would strengthen efforts to give a befitting future to the young players.
“I am not going to announce any largesse to you; rather, we are going to give players and officials of the team befitting property in our new housing estate where construction works are ongoing. We want to invest in you because we believe this kind of investment would yield better dividends in the future even if you no longer want anything to do with football. As we bask in the euphoria, I don’t want us to forget the fact that the success of this team was not by accident. Success is different from luck but their victory is well-earned and we would like to celebrate this team in a different way because it was here in Calabar that it all started,” he said
The players and officials were visibly happy by the governor’s gesture. Golden Eaglets’ midfielder Salihu Ali-Baba, who spoke on behalf of the team, said: “We are grateful for this wonderful gift from His Excellency, who is our father and we pray that God will also help you fulfil all your aspirations in life.”
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