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AFCON tit bits: We can rule Africa – Ideye

  by: Innocent Amomoh,South Africa

Ideye: We can rule Africa

Dynamo Kyiv of Russia forward, Brown Ideye has said that the Super Eagles team campaigning in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa is capable of winning the coveted trophy.

In a chat with NationSport on Monday, the former Ocean Boys striker said the players are more determined now than when the competition started, adding that this was evident during the massive game against the star-studded Ivoirians on Sunday.

Ideye assured that the team is ready for Wednesday’s semi final match against Mali at the Moses Madiba Stadium in Durban.

“In the first place we knew there was need for us to redeem our image especially against the highly rated Ivoirians.

“With the victory against Ivory Coast, I think we are ready to rule Africa. Mali shouldn’t stop us. We are prepared for the battle, we also prepared for the victory because we all knew that success does not come easily and that is why we put everything into the match.”

“I am very proud of our attitude. We show great potentials, we’ve shown that we can cover more grounds. We also showed that we have much to prove and improve on. It was a pre- determined victory for us and we will keep pushing for greater glory,” he said.

Fallout of Nigeria vs Ivory Coast match

…Delirious Mba praises team mate

After scoring a stunning goal that made the difference in the quarter final match against Cote d’ Ivoire Super Eagles’ newest revelation, Sunday Mba has described his performance as “superlative”

Mba, who was also name the Most Valuable Player of the crunchy encounter, scored the winning goal that gave Nigeria a semi final ticket on Sunday.

While dedicating the goal to his team-mates, the former Warri Wolves midfielder said because the game of football is a collective effort, it will be improper to take the glory alone.

“In as much as I will not want to hide my feelings about the role I played in the match and the success achieved so far in this competition. I want to say that there is no way I could have done it on my own without my team mates. I couldn’t believe I will make such a huge impact in such a massive game.

“Now that we have conquered our fears, I think we can go all the way in this tournament. With this victory, we are aiming higher. We can conquer more opponents but we must be careful not to be carried away. Mali will be tough but we need to show more character,” an excited Mba said.

Oliseh cautions Eagles over complacency

 Former captain of the Super Eagles, Sunday Oliseh has warned the team not to get carried away by Sunday’s victory over the highly-rated Ivoirians.

While he commended the Eagles for their five- star performance against the more experienced Elephants, Oliseh said the Malians are also capable of giving them a run for their money in the semi final clash on Wednesday.

The former FC Cologne midfielder, while speaking from the SuperSport studios, said a lowly rated side like Mali has the capability of becoming spoilers.

“We were up against a formidable opponent and I Knew that for us to win we have to do better which the boys did. Kudos to them,” he said.

Asked if Nigeria should lose sleep over Mali after eliminating tournament’s favourites, Cote d’ Ivoire, Oliseh said: “It is not about losing nerves but we have to be careful, if the Super Eagles get complacent they can lose the game.”

 

Kanu tips Eagles for title

Ex-international and Nigeria Football Ambassador, Nwankwo Kanu has said the Super Eagles has what it takes to the African Nations Cup in South Africa.

Speaking to NationSport on Monday in Rustenburg, South Africa, the former Africa Player of the Year said he is one of the few Nigerians, who had believed in the ability of the team to excel before the AFCON got underway in the rainbow nation.

He added that his confidence in the team has not depreciated.

“If you have been following me on facebook, you will agree that I have always believed in the ability of this team to do well in the Nations Cup.

“Before the match against Cote d’ Ivoire, I told those who cared to listen that the Eagles will win. I knew if only the players can raise their game, they will carry the day and that was what happened,” he stated.

Kanu, however, assured that having gone past the Ivoirians, the Eagles can go all out and defeat Mali in Wednesday’s semi final match and lift the cup in February 10 irrespective of the opposition in the final.

Super Eagles: 23 players, 16 officials

 Watching the Super Eagles train at the Olympia Park Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa, it was difficult to differentiate the players from the officials.

As they all donned the green and white jerseys, it took those of us that were conversant with the players to separate them from the officials.

After our count, while 23 players were registered for the competition, with the exception of Ahmed Musa, who was ill, the officials including the technical crew were 16 in number, a figure most people saw as outrageous.

The question on the lips of every one watching was what the functions of these officials are? Apart from the four coaches, Media Officer, Doctors, psychologist, and curator, the presence of other officials are subject to scrutiny.

Igbos ‘living like kings’ in Rustenburg

Some Nigerian journalist had discovered a restaurant where Nigerian dishes were served.

The place known as Nnoma Restaurant had formed a meeting point for Nigerians in Rustenburg.

Some Nigerians that besieged the restaurant, obviously from the Eastern part of Nigeria on our first visit came in flashy cars. The aura around them suggests that they were living comfortably. But a visit to the home of one of them simply referred to Bakasi was a confirmation of our insinuations.

He revealed to us how successful Nigerians have been, so much so that South African gets jealous of them. “They hate us here because of how successful we are, they accuse us of dealing on drugs,” Bakasi said.

Smoking among South African females a ‘routine’

Smoking among the women folks in various cities visited in South Africa is like a normal thing. In the land of Mandiba, we saw lots of women smoke but the striking one was seeing a woman as old as “my mum” smoking.

At a point we had approached a woman and tried to educate her on the dangers of smoking. She feigned ignorance of the inherent dangers associated with the act. “Is it true that smoking is dangerous to the health?” She asked ignorantly to our greatest amazement.

Smooth roads all the way

Travelling from one city to another in South Africa is fun. I have always thought I hated travelling by road until I got here. The smoothness of the roads is a sight you’ll always want to behold.

Trips that took hours were just like a stone throw. Little wonder rickety cars were nowhere to be found. Accidents are usually not common on their roads. It was wide enough to accommodate vehicles. I wonder which construction company built these roads. Definitely not some mushroom construction companies we have in Nigeria.