PHARAOHS MUST FALL

                         

As you read this, it is 24 hours to the very crucial match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and the Pharaoh’s of Egypt in an African Nations Cup qualifier at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna. The build up the game has been all about Arsenal teenager Alex Iwobi. The 19 year old has had a whirlwind week starting from a super performance last week against Barcelona in Arsenal’s 3:1 defeat; a scintillating display at Goodison Park on his first start for Arsenal; a late surge from the English FA to get him to play for the Three Lions; and reportedly ending in a hospital after food poisoning. Confirming the food poisoning issue on his twitter handle, Iwobi noted “Had the maddest food poisoning but I am good now and feeling ready for the Egyptian match.” The good news for us is that the episode has been resolved and as at Tuesday evening, the Arsenal man joined the rest of the team to train in Kaduna ahead of the game.

Arsenal Teenager Alex Iwobi

The last ditch effort by the English FA to get Iwobi not to honour the Super Eagles invitation may not be unconnected with his scintillating performance in the last one week. Unfortunately, that seemed to be a lost cause because his father Chuka had always wanted his son to fulfill a dream he could not achieve. According to Iwobi’s father Chuka, “it wasn’t a difficult decision for me (to convince Iwobi to play for Nigeria). I played football when I was younger and it was my ambition to play for Nigeria but my dream didn’t eventually come true. So when the opportunity came and Alex got the invitation, I spoke to him and I said to him, give it a go. He agreed with me and he came to Nigeria and we loved it. The fans have been great, the press has been great and it’s an honour to play for Nigeria.”

Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna

Staging the game in Kaduna has been a contentious issue since last year when the announcement was made especially for fans who live in the Southern part of the country. A lot of fans have not forgotten Nigeria’s inability to make it to the 2006 World Cup in Germany after a 1:1 draw in Kano. Most fans still believe that the weather in Kaduna would favour our opponents who have most of their players based in Egypt and they may have a point. But the Nigeria Football Federation cannot say no to a state government willing to host its national team and foot most, if not all of the bills, especially, in this day when the football house has been crying of being cash strapped. More importantly, the NFF has now moved forward the kick-off time by an hour. The game will now be played at 5 pm as opposed to the original scheduled time of 4 pm. With temperatures expected to be up to 36 degree centigrade on Friday, it is only wise to play the game when the temperature would be mild.

To the game proper, Samson Siasia has a hard task in front of him. With the spate of injuries to some of his players on the eve of the games, an already hard task has been made a lot more difficult. A lot has been made about AS Roma’s Mohammed Salah and Arsenal’s Mohammed Elneny. But truth of the matter is that the Pharaoh’s of Egypt will most likely target the Super Eagles fullbacks. No one is certain who would start in those positions but that is one area Siasia would need to get it right if Nigeria is to get any result, at least from the first leg.

Unlike Siasia who is on an interim basis, Egypt’s coach Hector Cuper seems to be on a knife edge. According to reports from certain quarters, the former Valencia and Inter Milan coach is facing the sack if results against the Super Eagles do not go his way.  A source in the Egyptian FA told Complesports newspaper “Cuper has been given a two-match ultimatum by the Egyptian Football Association. He has been told to beat Nigeria and ensure Egypt qualify for Gabon 2017 or face dismissal. EFA chiefs were not impressed with the team’s performance against Burkina Faso and have warned Cuper to shape up and pick valuable points in Kaduna and Alexandria, if he hopes to retain his job.”

Hector Cuper Egyptian Coach

Cuper might not be a very popular name amongst football followers but the Argentine is a very sound manager. His Valencia side in the early 2000’s reached two Champions League finals in a row in 2000 and 2001 playing amazing football in the process. Maybe, if the team had won any of those titles, he would have had more fame than he presently does. But some of us won’t forget the Gaizka Mendietta’s, Claudio Lopez’, Kily Gonzalez’ of this world in a hurt who made that team thick. Agreed that his present Egyptian side may not be that talented, but Cuper is optimistic.

We can bear the Nigerian national team,” the former Inter Milan manager said during his interaction with the media on Sunday in Cairo. “So, I promise we will give everything in this match, but I cannot promise a win outright.”

One only hopes for the sake of Nigerian fans that the Pharaohs fall in Kaduna.


-This piece first appeared as a column, Sixth Sense, on Port Harcourt based newspaper Independent Monitor on Thursday March 24th. 


CREDITS
Iwobi/Stadium pics courtesy goal.com
Hector Cuper pic courtesy premiumtimes.com