By Babs Oyeotro
Football legend, Dr. Felix Owolabi, has warned the Super Eagles not to view the recent African Nations Cup draws as just a mere walkover for them because of the pedigree of the senior national team on the continent.
Owoblow, as he was fondly being called in his playing days, observed that the temptation for the Super Eagles players is to underrate Guinea-Bissau and Sudan, thus giving all attention to Egypt.
This, he said, may pose danger to the team.
“On paper, Nigeria and Egypt should qualify from this group, but our contemporary time football has gone beyond that level; every participant is a potential winner because most of these African teams have their playing in different leagues of the world.
“My fear for the senior national team is that it is built on individual brilliance and not yet welded together as a team.
“Coach Gernot Rohr has been with the team for over five years, yet we do not have a standing team. He keeps on changing the team from time to time. This has given Nigerian football fans cause for concern.
“Ordinarily, we should be able to beat our chest that we shall qualify from that group alongside Egypt. But I can assure you that we shall qualify from that group by the grace of God,” he assured.
Meanwhile, Hossam El Badry, who is the head coach of the Egyptian national football team, has made it clear that facing the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the 2021 African Cup of Nations will be difficult.
The 61-year-old explained this while reacting to the Group stage’s draws made by CAF on Tuesday night, August 17, where his side will face Nigeria, Sudan, and Guinea-Bissau.
EndSARS: Group Task Buhari on Not Merely Dissolving Unit
“Our group was quite balanced and not easy due to the improvement of all these teams, who also have great players. “I have great confidence in God and in the capabilities of the players to overcome this group and perform well to satisfy the aspirations of the Egyptian fans.
“The coaching staff and I are thinking about each stage separately. Currently, we are only focusing on the team’s journey in the World Cup qualifiers to achieve our target to qualify for the finals. We have already reached our first target, which was to qualify for the African Cup of Nations.’’
