Nigeria Will Qualify For Olympics

Captain of Nigeria’s U-23 Eagles, Kingsley Udoh, has assured soccer loving Nigerians that the team would qualify for both the 2011 All Africa Games in Mozambique and 2012 Olympic Games in London.

The qualifying series for the two tournaments are ongoing. The Nigerian team defeated Equatorial Guinea to move to the next round of the Olympic Games qualifiers, and also stopped Liberia last weekend to proceed to the next round of the All Africa Games qualifying series.

Speaking after their last qualifier, which the U-23 Eagles beat Liberia on 7-2 aggregate at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City in Edo State, Nigeria last weekend, Udoh said scaling the hurdles posed by Equatorial Guinea and Liberia to qualify for the next rounds of the two qualifiers, showed that the team have what it takes to play in the both competitions.

“The players have resolved at the start of the qualifiers that nothing should stop us from picking the tickets to play in the Olympics and All Africa Games. These are dreams, which must come to pass no matter the oppositions,” said Udoh, whose leadership role in weekend’s game against the Liberians could not be over emphasised in Nigeria’s 6-1 drubbing of the visitors.

“I want to assure Nigerians that we will leave nothing to chance to ensure that we qualify for the tournaments. It is our decision as a team. The players, coaches and other officials are determined for the challenges ahead.

“We are not only going to qualify for both the Olympics and All Africa Games, but will go to the two tournaments to make our marks. We are going to tell the world that Nigeria are a force to reckon with in world football. The country has done it before and we are capable of doing it again.

“We have the potentials to qualify and we will not look back until we get to our destinations,” he said.

Udoh, who formerly played for Premier League side, Akwa United, came to the limelight following his impressive performance at the 2007 U-17 World Cup in South Korea, which Nigeria won.

He began his career with Global Crystal Academy before moving to Akwa United F.C. in 2007. Udoh tried his luck abroad but returned to Nigeria to sign for Heartland of Owerri, when his trip overseas failed.

By Taiwo Adelu, Benin