Posted by By Taiwo Adelu on
Considering Samson Siasia's U-23 Eagles' performance at the recently concluded Olympic Games in Beijing, China, the players can represent Nigeria in the 2010 World Cup scheduled for South Africa.
Considering Samson Siasia's U-23 Eagles' performance at the recently concluded Olympic Games in Beijing, China, the players can represent Nigeria in the 2010 World Cup scheduled for South Africa.
These were the words of former Nigerian international and Super Eagles' skipper, Sunday Ogechukwu Oliseh, who, in January 2006, at the age of 31, retired from professional football after playing a half season for Belgium top club, K.R.C. Genk.
Oliseh said the Olympic Eagles, fondly called the Dream Team IV, gave a good account of themselves at the football event of the Summer Games, hence his belief that if the players are groomed, they are good to fly the country's flag at the FIFA World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
The former Borussia Dortmund of Germany central midfielder, who played 63 international matches and scored four goals for Nigeria, advised the football authority to promote at least 70 per cent of the Olympic silver medal winning Eagles to the senior national team as a step toward replacing the ageing players in the senior national team ahead of the mundial.
'Since Atlanta ‘96 Olympics, Nigeria has not had it so good in the football event of the Olympic Games; like the feat recorded by our team in Beijing. 'For a team that scaled all hurdles to the final of the Games, beating countries like Holland, USA, Cote d'Ivoire, Belgium, and then battled Argentina in the final only to lose narrowly by 0-1, I think the boys have shown that they can perform at the highest level of the game in the world,' said Oliseh, a member of the Atlanta ‘96 gold-winning team.
'The Dream Team have equally shown us that they have what it takes to play in the World Cup, having rubbed shoulders with world stars in the football event of the Olympics,' he said.