By Daily Sports on January 15, 2018

The 2018 NPFL season has started and results of the first week are already known. Teams have their bests representing the country at the ongoing CHAN Championship in Morocco, North Africa and the sides that have their players in the national team would continue to miss them until the curtain is drawn on the continental football tournament on February 13. That is the price they have to pay for the love of their nation.

CHAN Championship has become an important football summit in the calendar of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the governing body of the game in the continent.

As it is, the Champ was designed for further encouragement and growth of the game in the continent as the various leagues in Africa would strive to field their best to showcase the depth of their league as it is for only players that play in the continent. That was the agenda set by the founding fathers. Now, the reality is that the tournament which was taken with a pinch of salt by CAF member countries at the beginning has been fully embraced as qualifications for it has become more difficult in every edition.

That is a plus for the game in Africa.  Kudos to those that inaugurated it. Hosting the Championship has also attracted great interests by more serious football playing nations, which further signifies its wider acceptance within a short time. It would be recalled that Kenya was stripped of the hosting right, which was later given to Morocco due to unreadiness by the east African country that failed to meet up with the pace of CAF and specification on provision of standard facilities. CAF has never compromised on its already set high standard as obtains in its  flagship Championship, the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Morocco already has good facilities and is likely to be presented as World Cup host by African.  CAF will use the opportunity of CHAN Championship to present to the world, Morocco’s splendid and high quality facilities as just a tip of the iceberg. We witnessed the super side during the opening game between her and Mauritania. It’s glamorous, tidy, glittering, service, enduring and first rate football facilities that measure up to any in the world and would steadily compete for quality and what have you among the very bests in the globe.  It is therefore the pride of Africa and CAF would use it to announce to FIFA that Africa has arrived.

And Nigeria is among the other football powers in the continent competing. This CHAN participation is key to Nigeria as its sterling posting would instill more confidence in the players as they prepares for the World Cup in Russia later this year. One of Nigeria’s likely goalkeepers, to the Russia showdown, Ikechukwu Ezenwa is on parade. To refresh your memory, Nigeria has not won the top prize rather a Bronze medal when the late Stephen Keshi guided the team. In short, it has been the best impact the supposedly giant of Africa has made in CHAN.

Nigeria won’t take chances. She has great stake and has not hidden such. It won’t be an easy one as the host country and others won’t be onlookers or pretenders at the Championship, which is the second highest ranking Championship in CAF’s calendar. Such anticipation would bring healthy competition and steady it as the best ever in terms of keenness, organisation, crowd, and showpiece that would announce the arrival of the continent as the latest where the game has truly taken roots in all ramifications.

This edition, indicates that the CHAN Eagles are on the march again. The squad is loaded and is expected to do better than the previous outing. It is a Championship strictly meant for players plying their trade in Africa and Nigeria went to the battle of Rabat Morocco with her best legs in the domestic league. Even the team’s handler, Salisu Yusuf said the Eagles are roundly prepared and therefore ready to do battle. He is not alone, the other day, NFF supremo, Amaju Pinnick also sounded likewise. The team’s goalkeeper trainer Alloy Agu is optimistic about  the lads’ performance, likewise the players. The agreement is total and the practical demonstration of it on the field of play is what the supporters of the team would like to see. The truth, however, is that the handlers took their time to pick the 22 players that are bearing Nigeria’s flag in this edition of CHAN and it is on the strength of this they are talking tough.

One must point out here that despite the 'too easy group' where Nigeria finds herself with Rwanda, Libya and Equatorial Guinea, one must sound it from the onset, as a note of warning that it would at the end of the day, become the most difficult, if the Nigerian team under rates their opponents, as these countries would be aiming at up set  against Nigeria. Their games won’t be an easy one as many may think.

It therefore behoves on the Eagles and their handlers to brace up decisively right from their first match today against Rwanda and be alive to their responsibilities as only an outright win and nothing else would be good enough. The eyes of the world cum football fans across the globe have shifted to Morocco even the European football managers have sent out their representatives to various match venues to look out for the best of African players they would lure to Europe in no distant future. Trust the players are ready.

The above is one of the features that would bring out the best in the players and then add much value and setting of tone to the game. One thing that is not in short supply is the readiness of the lads to exhibit and their class, tactics and talent. You will not be far from the truth if you tagged this epic competition as Africa’s way of opening up herself further to the world, Morocco and the entire players have resolved to dish out splendid football artistry.

The team will open their cheque for the tournament against Rwanda in Rabat, Morocco today. It will be one match that would set the tone where the Nigerian team is heading to. It is a game Yusuf will instruct his boys to go for the kill. He will equally tell them not to underrate their opponents because any team participating in the finals of a competition is not a pushover. Therefore it will be a one chance battle where only the fittest would survive.

Yes, Rwanda is one of the minnows of African football, but since it has been proved that the era of minnows are over, then Nigeria with her rich pedigree would go all out right from the referees first blast of the whistle to box their day’s opponent  to a corner.  It won’t be that easy because the Rwandans are not in Morocco to watch the beautiful city with its wonderful layouts.

No doubt, such mentality by the Rwandans will further compound the task for the Eagles. It may look easy on paper but on the field of play Eagles will need extra experience and vigilance to ensure they will totally avoid upset. How far Nigeria will go in the ongoing Championship will be determined from this her first outing before their second against Libya.

Chief Coach, Yusuf, his entire technical crew and the players know why they are in Morocco. They also remember the self-imposed target they gave themselves and therefore would not only be at alert throughout the duration of each game but would also show class and concentration in their engagements.

The Pinnick led NFF has reassured the country of adequate support from the body and the Kano State government that hosted the team’s preparations. From the look of things all hands are on deck.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed and discuss further on Twitter, Linkedin, WhatsAPP and Facebook. Keep shooting hard till next week!!

Source Daily Sports

Posted January 15, 2018

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