BEVERLY HILLS, March 27, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, has challenged the Super Eagles to make the football fans in the country proud with an outright victory against the Squirrels of Benin Republic when they meet in Saturday’s Group L TOTAL African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
He gave them this charge while assuring them of the complete backing of the government and the country.
“Nigerians are solidly behind you as you take on the Squirrels of Benin Republic in a Nations Cup qualifier,” the Minister said. “The match is important; hence you must put in your best to ensure victory. You started the series well, so you have a duty to finish well and pick a ticket for the Nations Cup.”
The bright start the Super Eagles made to the qualifiers has seen them top the group’s standings even with poor showings in the last double header against third-placed Leone Stars of Sierra Leone, where a disappointing set of draws, 4-4 at home and goalless away, saw Nigeria pick a paltry two points out of six.
Aware that the Super Eagles were going against a side that is difficult to defeat at home and that is only one point behind Nigeria in Group L, Dare warned against complacency: “No match comes easy, there are no minions, so don’t underrate your opponents because football is unpredictable.”
The Nigerian team will qualify for the continental tournament if they get a point from the Saturday fixture; but the Minister desired excellence: “I urge you to be inspired by the Nigerian spirit of excellence by soaring like the great Eagles you are.”
The Squirrels and Super Eagles match day five fixture will be held at the Stade Charles de Gaulle on Saturday, starting from 5pm local time.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
