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...Eagles must beat
S'Africa to maintain prestige, says Onigbinde
The Confederation of African
Football (CAF) and Federation of International Football Association (FIFA)
technical instructor, Festus Onigbinde, believes that though Nigeria has
nothing to lose if the Super Eagles do not grab all the three points at stake
against South Africa in the 2009 CAF/FIFA World Cup qualifier over the weekend,
the country must maintain her prestige by winning the encounter.
"The match is very
important to the Bafana Bafana, as a loss would mean that they are not in
contention for Angola 2010. But for
"But the fact
remains that we have to maintain our prestige and go all out to win the
encounter."
On several regulars of
the squad withdrawing from the team due to injuries or club commitments, the
Modakeke high chief said there was nothing to worry about because, before the
Olympic Games, most Nigerians said that without John Mikel Obi, the Dream Team
IV was going nowhere.
"But Samson Siasia's
team went ahead to prove the critics wrong," he submitted. "Leave
that question to the chief coach of the team. He has the cards to play. Let him
do it because it is a job he has been selected to do and to deliver.
"All players, 30 or
so of them that have been penciled down for the Super Eagles, are important in
the cause of winning laurels for the country. So, why should we depend on
particular players?"
And about drafting the
Dream Team IV players to fill the gap left in the Super Eagles by the absentee
stars, the he cautioned against rushing every player into the senior team,
stating that it was left for the coaches make their choice from the Dream Team
to the Super Eagles.
Onigbinde stressed that the coaches should
not be influenced by public opinion, but stick to their professional sense of
judgment.
Source:
The Guardian Newspaper
September 3, 2008