ABUJA, JULY 4, 2016 – The Nigeria Football Federation will on Friday, 8th July release a short-list of candidates for the vacant position of Super Eagles’ Head Coach.However, the Federation’s Technical and Development Committee has set a deadline of Wednesday, 6th July 2016 for interested candidates to apply for the position.
Chairman of the committee, Barrister Chris Green, told the nff.com that applications are invited from all persons who feel they are qualified for the position, as the three –time African champions get set to begin preparations for an interesting 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying race against Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia.
“We encourage applications from all highly –qualified persons, whether they be Nigerians or expatriates. Applications are welcome until Wednesday, and the Technical and Development Committee will meet on Friday to look through all applications and release a short-list,” Green stated.
The Super Eagles are away to Zambia’s Chipolopolo on Matchday 1 (October 3) and will then host the Fennecs of Algeria on November 7. They will then host Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions on August 28, 2017 and visit the Lions five days later, before hosting Zambia a month after and then rounding off the series by visiting Algeria on November 7, 2017.
Algeria beat Nigeria home and away in the qualifying series for the 1982 World Cup in Spain, but Nigeria returned the compliment in the qualifying series for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Nigeria threw Cameroon out of the race for the 1970 World Cup finals, but then lost to the Lions in the race to the 1990 World Cup finals. Cameroon also beat Nigeria in three Africa Cup of Nations final matches (1984, 1988, 2000), but the Super Eagles eliminated then holders Cameroon in the Cup of Nations quarter finals in 2004, beat the Lions to the LG Cup title and whiplashed the neighbours 3-0 in a friendly in Belgium in October last year.
Zambia pipped Nigeria over two legs in the last hurdle to the 1986 Africa Cup of Nations finals, but the Super Eagles stopped the Zambians at the semi final stage of the 1990 finals in Algeria, edged the Chipolopolo in the final of the 1994 championship in Tunisia, and also pipped the southern Africans in the quarter –finals of the 1992 and 2010 championships.
In-form Flying Eagles off to Khartoum
Nigeria’s U20 squad, the Flying Eagles, will depart the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja aboard an Ethiopian Airways flight on Wednesday, 6th July on their way to Khartoum for a 2017 Africa U20 Cup of Nations qualifying match against their Sudanese counterparts.
Coach Emmanuel Amuneke, while addressing the boys Saturday morning after their 8-0 thrashing of Oyah Sports FC of Suleja in a friendly, described the match in Sudan as ‘the mother of all battles’ and warned that the team must maintain high level of discipline and focus to surmount this final hurdle.
“Let me first congratulate you for the performance today. I am impressed with your approach to the game from start to finish. I hope we all realise the enormity of the task ahead, as we must remain focused and disciplined to achieve our aim of picking one of the seven tickets to the continental soccer showpiece,” he said.
In the absence of forward Victor Osimhen who has just returned to training after injury, Orji Okonkwo has continued to fill the void, banging in two against the U23 Eagles and three on Saturday against the Suleja -based Nationwide League side.
ABS FC of Ilorin forward Kehinde Ayinde has also discovered his scoring form. The petit striker scored two as the Flying Eagles thrashed Amakson Academy 4-1 on Wednesday morning and added another two on Saturday to take his tally to four in two matches. Left back Umar Johnson scored his first goal for the Flying Eagles and celebrated with team-mates, while second half substitutes Samuel Chukwueze and Kelechi Nwakali completed the rout to make it 8-0 in favour of the Flying Eagles.
The Emmanuel Amuneke –tutored side has played over twenty friendly matches since starting its camping in Abuja on 9th April, drawing only two and losing none. The team will tackle a Sudanese side that is yet to kick a ball in the qualifiers following the withdrawal of second round opponent, Malawi. The match earlier fixed for Friday, 8th July, has now been moved to Sunday, 10th July by the Sudanese Football Federation.
The Flying Eagles will take on City Strikers of Abuja on Tuesday evening at the mainbowl of the National Stadium, Abuja in their last friendly game before departing for Sudan.
