Shaibu Amodu: We Will Qualify Eagles For AFCON 2015

 

The Super Eagles' interim coach has said his coaching crew could still qualify the country for 2015 African Cup of Nations despite their slim hopes of qualification

Nigeria interim coach Shaibu Amodu has said he and his technical crew will do everything to ensure the Super Eagles qualify for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Amodu, who was appointed alongside Salisu Yusuf, Gbenga Ogunbote and Alloyius Agu following the dimissal of Stephen Keshi by the Nigeria Football Federation last week, pleaded with Nigerians to be patience in the nation's quest for a qualification ticket.

On his strategies ahead of the games in November, the three-time former Super Eagles coach said his action plan to ensure the country qualifies for the tournament will be made public soon after deliberations with the NFF were concluded....

The 56-year-old former coach of the BCC Lions, with whom he won the 1990 CAF Cup Winners Cup, said his immediate task remains securing a ticket for the biennial tournament.

"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," said Amodu.

"I think this situation is very similar to what we had in the qualifiers to the 2002 World Cup. We worked hard, did our bit and were fortunate to have results elsewhere also going our way.

"There are somethings that, as humans, we cannot control just as there are a lot more we can influence. I can assure everybody that we will give this assignment all we have and then hope that all other things fall in place for us.

"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 the Nigeria Football Federation,"Shaibu said.

"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. Once we have concluded all these, we will unveil them to the media," he concluded.

Amodu, who is technical director of Nigeria's national teams, will be in charge of the Super Eagles for the fourth time.

The Super Eagles need maximum points from their two remaining qualifying games to be sure of an opportunity to defend the title they won in South Africa in 2013.

Nigeria are third in Group A of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers behind South Africa and Congo and ahead of Sudan.