Football Fans in Calabar have urged the Super Eagles to win the visiting Bafana Bafana of South Africa on Saturday in the 2019 African Nations Cup (AFCON) qualifier.
Some of the fans said on Friday in Calabar that it was time the Eagles avenged the 2-2 draw that denied Nigeria participation in the 2017 edition of AFCON.
Oqua Etim, the immediate past Chairman of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Cross River chapter, said that he was optimistic Nigeria would carry the day.
“Ordinarily, one will not lose sleep over Nigeria/South Africa match. Bafana Bafana has never been a threat to us. I am confident that in spite of the absence of some key players, the Eagles will win convincingly.
“However, the boys should know that there are no more minnows in modern football and so; they should approach the match with all seriousness.
“They must avoid complacency and they must be committed to the game; but at the end, I see Nigeria winning if not for anything, it is time for revenge,’’ he said.

Another football enthusiast, David Adie, also urged the team to beat the South Africans to brighten their chances of featuring in 2019 AFCON.
“It is unimaginable that a big football nation like Nigeria has missed two successive AFCON Championships. I think it is time for us to redeem our image.
“The team has to do everything needful to win South Africa. What happened the last time the Eagles played Bafana Bafana in the same stadium must not happen repeat. We must take our maximum points, ‘’ Adie said.
Aniekan Akpan, a football analyst, however, lamented the absence of some key Players in the team, adding that this might affect their fortune.
According to him, Victor Moses is not there, Mikel is absent and I do not know if Onazi did join the team; the absence of these players might affect them.
“However, I pray that they should win to brighten our chances of going to the next AFCON.
NAN reports that the match comes up on Saturday at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.

National team coaches who have been owed various amounts in salaries and allowances by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) may have cause to smile as the football house has started moves to offset the backlogs.

However, checks revealed that the NFF has succeeded in slashing the amount which it owed the coaches to the tune of 50% and 30% respectively.

While some categories of coaches especially those who still have contracts were persuaded to collect half of their entitlements, some others are to forfeit 30% of their outstanding salaries and allowances.

Although most of the coaches who were at the secretariat of the NFF to reconcile what they were being owed were not very happy with the pay cut, they however said they decided to accept what was offered since they have been waiting for years for their money.

Recall that most of the indigenous coaches have over the years complained that they were being owed outstanding salaries, bonuses and allowances.

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A sources at the NFF said that the management decided to compile the amounts with a view to offsetting the debts after it signed a five year contract with an energy company AITEO Group.

“You know that the NFF recently signed a five year deal with AITEO group and part of the agreement is that it will take care of the coaches wages and what you are seeing here today is in fulfilment of that part of the contract.”

Some of the coaches who have already stormed the NFF for the reconciliation include: Super Eagles chief coach Salisu Yusuf, goalkeeper trainer Aloy Agu, U-17 coach Manu Garba as well as U-20 goalkeeper trainer Emeka Amadi, Super Falcons goalkeeper trainer Ann Echejile, former Flying Eagles coach John Obuh.

However, so far nobody knows how the NFF will handle the issue of the late former coaches including Aloysius Atuegbu, Stephen Keshi and Shuaibu Amodu who died while they were being owed.