Former Super Eagles Assistant coach, Joe Erico, has charged the Super Eagles to aspire to win the coveted FIFA World Cup for the first in the history of Nigerian football.
Entralled as Nigeria gained qualification to the Mundial, after defeating hard-fighting Chipolopolo Zambian national team by a lone goal, on Saturday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Erico said, “Serious business has started.”
Speaking exclusively to The Point, the Jogo Bonito exponent revealed that the senior national team is graciously blessed with abundant soccer stars and the onus lies with the present squad with its coaching crew to come up tops with a good strategy that will make the country excel in the Mundial holding in Russia next year.
The former Julius Berger and Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC coach further stated that since the 1994 second round effort by the then Super Eagles squad led by late Stephen Keshi the country had exhibited the potential to rule the world in the round leather game, but to no avail.
“Every generation of the Super Eagles has always been blessed with talented players who have the potential to rule the world in that category, but to no avail. We have players that ply their trades with the various top clubs in the world, but what we need most is for them to show greater commitment, discipline, dedication and determination to break this jinx this time around.
“I make bold to call it a jinx because at the youth level, Nigeria remains a super power in that regard following the exploits of the Golden Eaglets. From 1985 till date, we have won the FIFA U-17 World Cup for a record five times and no country has ever done that except Nigeria. Today, some of Eaglets have graduated to the senior national, thus raising the quality of materials available for the country at that level.
“Aside the aforementioned, we have a rock-solid Super Eagles team where competition for places in the team is tough, keen and only the best gets in there. Therefore, what is remaining is for the players to show greater commitment to break this world cup winning jinx,” Erico said with great optimism.
The highly travelled and experienced coach also commended the administrators of football in the country for their role in raising a team in recent time that Nigerians can be proud of.
“If you take a look at our world cup qualifying matches against Cameroon in Uyo and even in Yaoundé you can see that the confidence level was on the rise. Therefore I want to give kudos to the NFF, the coaching crew, administrators and players for doing a good job.
“However, we need to move away from this mentality of struggling or speculating whether the Eagles can qualify for both the world cup and the Nations Cup because we have the players that can get the job done. I suggest that we need to move to the level of winning the world cup proper.
“There is nothing wrong with Super Eagles players aspiring to lift the FIFA World Cup because our players rock shoulders day in-day out with the best crop of players in the world in their various leagues. Be it the English Premiership, Italian Serie A, Spanish La Liga, French Ligue 1, German Bundesliga, American MLS and even in Turkish League to mention but a few, Nigerian players are always there,” Erico concluded.
