Kunle Adelabu writes from AFCON, Morocco
The Chairman, Anambra State Football Association (ANSFA), General Chikelu Iloenysi, has expressed confidence in the ability of the Super Eagles of Nigeria, to defeat their Moroccan national team counterparts in the AFCON semi-final game on Wednesday.
General Chikelu, a former Super Eagles’ defender and the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), All Nigerian Players Union, while stating that the Nigerian team keep improving in their tactical and technical abilities and give their best in every game, also added that the home advantage won’t count for the Moroccan team against the high -flying Super Eagles.
The former Eagles defender spoke with our reporter at the Ibis Hotel, Mohammedia, Morocco, where the officials of the Nigeria Sports Commission, Nigeria Football Federation, journalists and others are lodged for the ongoing AFCON tournament.
“Our team has been so exceptional, and I’m happy that they have discipline, passion, and I like what the coach is doing to make sure we have characters in the game. You can see from their games; they develop every game and improve from game to game.
“So, I’m so happy with where we are today. God has already made it possible for the god of soccer to be in our favor, because we have chosen the tactical aspect of football which the coach wants from the players; a team spirit.
“This is the first time that you can see players go man to man; marking to win the ball. They fall back together and everyone of them also goes forward together. We are very impressed by their performance”.
Speaking about his expectation before the match against Algerians, General Chikelu said that he was sure of Eagles winning the game because of the Nigerian players’ attitudes and characters so far in the tournament.
“I told people that we were going to win Algeria. Algeria is not a country that will beat Nigeria, because we improve game by game and if you see yesterday’s game, you can see that we played them and controlled the game. There is nothing they were able to do about that, and the God of soccer helped us to get our goals on time.
“You can see the team spirit, everyone coordinated themselves very well. You can see that there is love among the players, forget about what some people are writing about. This is football. A better team wins and people support Nigeria, because our team is better than the Algerians in that match. We are on the better side”.
Expressing his confidence in the Super Eagles’ semi – final match against the host country, Morocco, General Chikelu said that the Nigerian team have the capacity to beat the Moroccans, irrespective of their home advantage.
“My expectation is that our boys will still play well, regardless of the fact that we are playing the home team, that will not change anything. Nigeria has reached the stage where we don’t have patience for failure. We are here to show our capacity and the passion we have as a country. That’s what we have come to do here”, General Chikelu emphasised.
In his parting words, General Chikelu commended the Super Eagles coach and urged him to continue to do what he has been doing that has been bringing out results.
He also thanked the Nigeria government for her support for the team.
“I will tell Coach Chelle to keep doing what he’s doing. He is doing well. You cannot give what you don’t have, you give what you have. So, he has all the players and tools. I wish him the best of luck.
“The federation is working very hard to make sure they put in the logistics and every other thing so as for the players to do their own parts. So, I give it to the NFF President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, and board members of the Nigeria Football Federation, for the good work they’re doing. I am very impressed about this.
“I’m also thanking the Nigerian government too for the improvement and taking care of everything through the National Sports Commission. That’s what we are praying for – to get it right and we have gotten it right by the grace of God. This is the first in Nigeria, that people are happy game after game. It’s not about critics, rather, it’s about the achievement”, he said.
