Maigari: World Cup Ticket To Follow World Cup Triumph

President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari has assured Nigerians that the Super Eagles will earn a ticket to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in their final qualifying match against Ethiopia
in Calabar on Saturday, only eight days after the Golden Eaglets set a world record of four wins in the FIFA U-17 World Cup competition.

“It has been an exceedingly great year for Nigerian football. We started the year with a trophy (Africa Cup of Nations) and are ending the year with another trophy (U-17 World Cup). By Saturday, we will pick up the ticket to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil.

“The Super Eagles have done the hard job in Ethiopia, but we cannot afford to be overconfident and leave our guards. The team will play the second leg game as if it is the World Cup final.

“We really appreciate the prayers, support and encouragement of all Nigerians, starting with His Excellency, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR. Our triumph at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab
Emirates, even while we were absent from the 2011 edition, is testimony that with hard work, perseverance, team work, purposefulness, dedication and doggedness, so much is possible.”

The Golden Eaglets’ victory in UAE, after a no-show in Mexico 2011, is the most enthralling zero-to-hero, absence-to-eminence story in the history of the FIFA U-17 World Cup finals.

Maigari added: “We celebrate the Eaglets’ triumph but we have to now focus on the 2014 World Cup qualifying match in Calabar. It is most important for our team to be at that biggest showpiece, in a year that
our nation will be celebrating her Centenary.”

African champions Nigeria edge the fixture from a 2-1 win in the first leg in Addis Ababa and are favourites to sing ‘Brazil Here We Come’ in Calabar on Saturday.