Nigerians have been apprehensive about the chance of the Super Eagles at the Africa Cup of Nations holding in Ghana early next year, after the official draws held recently in Accra pitched the Nigerian team against the Elephants of Ivory Coast in their first group match.
The Elephants ended the dream of the Super Eagles in the semi final at the last edition of the Nations Cup in Egypt last year, and there are palpable fears that the star-studded Ivorien team inspired by Chelsea of England forward, Didier Drogba, may deny the Eagles their dream of lifting the Nations Cup from the third time once again."
But President-General of the Nigerian Football Supporters Club, Dr. Rauf Ladipo, is not among the Nigeria’s losing sleep over the threat from the Ivorien Elephants or any other team at the tournament for that matter.
"We were only unlucky at the last edition of the Africa Cup of Nations," he began in an exclusive chat with news men in Accra, Ghana moments after the official draws ceremony on October 19.
"Our loss to Ivory Coast in the semi-final stage was questionable. If you saw the match, you ‘ld notice that the goal by Didier Drogba was scored from the offside position, but the referee gave it to them. Nobody querrelled with that," Ladipo recalled.
"But this time round, we will not allow the same mistake to repeat itself when we meet Ivory Coast again in Ghana next year. We have to prove that the loss to the Ivoriens in Egypt in the semi final of the last Nations Cup was not genuine," he stated.
Dr. Ladipo dismissed the Ghanaians prediction that the Super Eagles will crash-out of the tournament in the group phase with a wave of hand, boasting that the Nigerian team would not only go all the way to the final, but clinch the coveted trophy for the third time.
"I’m comfortable with Nigeria’s group even though it is a tough group. Ivory Coast, Mali have good teams just as Republic of Benin cannot be underrated. "But I tell you, we have handled all these, teams before. Interestingly, all the teams in our group are in the West African sub-region, so we know how to handle them. I see Nigeria going to qualify comfortably from that group. "We’ll not only qualify from the group stage, we’ll go as far as playing the final. Of course, it is time for us to win again. "We were in Tunisia in 1994, 14 years after, we won the trophy in Lagos and we won the trophy again in Tunisia. It will be another 14 years in 2008 after we won in Tunisia. So we are going to win again by the grace of God," he prayed.
The Supporters’ Club boss said the Ghanaians were only jealous of the towering profile of the Super Eagles and predicted that the Nigerian team would shock the Black Stars and other contenders at next year’s championship.
"I am not disturbed by the seeming lack of respect for Nigeria by the Ghanaians. While the draws were going on, I heard a lot of uncomplimentary comments by the Ghanaians against Nigeria. That was expected.
"Whether they (Ghanaians) like it or not, we are the best football playing nation in Africa as ranked by FIFA. I can only interpret the Ghanaians reaction as a product of envy and jealousy. They are jealous of Nigeria’s rising profile in the game of football.
"We’ll surprise them, let them underrate Nigeria and they will have themselves to blame," he concluded.
