AFCON: Amodu urges ‘moderate’ expectations over Eagles’ qualification

The newly-appointed coach of the Super Eagles, Amodu Shaibu, has asked that Nigerians be moderate in their expectations of the team even as he promised to give his best in salvaging Nigeria’s hopes of participating at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations, Afcon.

Shaibu, along with Salisu Yusuf, Gbenga Ogunbote and Alloysius Agu, were named the new Super Eagles technical crew on Thursday. Their immediate task is to oversee the last round of qualifying matches to Afcon in January.

“We have been given an assignment that is tough and very challenging but not one that is impossible to accomplish. We will give it our very best and see how things can be turned around,” Mr. Shuaibu told journalists in Lagos on Monday.

He said the current situation was similar to the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. “We worked hard, did our bit and were fortunate to have results elsewhere also going our way,” he said.

He assured that his team would also give its best this time.

“Let us all be modest in our expectations so that we do not put ourselves under undue pressure. Let everybody involved in the game in Nigeria pull together in the right direction and then we see what we can achieve with the next two games as mandated by the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF,” Mr. Shaibu advised.

On his specific plans for the games in November, the Super Eagles coach said a detailed plan of action would be unveiled to the media as soon as on-going deliberations were concluded.

“Planning has commenced. A lot of deliberations and discussions are already going on. We need to be very thorough with all aspects of our planning. ,”he said.

The Super Eagles are third in Group A of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers behind South Africa and Congo. Nigeria will need maximum points from their remaining games to be sure of their place at the biennial tournament she won in South Africa in 2013.