Super Eagles ready to soar

The Punch Report

Mikel Obi, Shola Ameobi, Bright Dike, John Ogu, and James Okwuosa are some of the Super Eagles players that had arrived in Calabar by noon on Tuesday for the World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia’s Walya Antelopes. The match is billed for the U.J. Esuene Stadium on Saturday.

A close associate of Mikel spoke with The PUNCH soon after the Chelsea midfielder arrived at the Transcorp Metropolitan Hotel where the Eagles are accommodated.

He said, “Yes he’s (Mikel) in town now. We just arrived at the hotel just a while ago.”

Chippa United of South Africa central defender, Okwuosa, was however the first player amongst those based outside Nigeria to arrive in Calabar. But by midday Victor Moses had joined the first set. The Liverpool attacker got in just ahead of Godfrey Oboabona and Nnamdi Oduamadi. Elderson Echejile joined his mates while they were already at training at the stadium, Eagles managers confirmed.

It is hoped that Wednesday training would record a full house of all the players called-up for the game. Officials of the Nigeria Football Federation have largely blamed flight problems as the major cause for the delay for the players heading to Calabar from Lagos and Abuja. But The PUNCH check with a Calabar-based travel agent showed that it is little better getting a seat on flights this period compared to the period Eagles played against Kenya when only one airline was flying into the city as a result of problems in the Nigerian aviation industry.

And as Stephen Keshi prepares the Eagles for the last battle on the way to Brazil 2014, Ethiopian striker Getaneh Kebede has returned to the national team. The 21-year-old Bidvest Wits of South Africa player missed the first leg in Addis Ababa, which ended in victory to Nigeria, because of a knee injury. The return of the fast attacker is seen as a boost to Wayla Antelopes.

Under coach Sewinet Bishaw the player is standing as the joint top scorer. BBC correspondent in Addis Ababa confirmed that striker Saladin Seid and midfielder Shimels Bekele are also in the squad to face Nigeria. Getaneh trained on Monday along with his team-mates, who are mostly home-based players. The Ethiopians are expected to arrive in Nigeria on Thursday although they seem not too keen giving the Nigerian FA a very definite schedule.

The Eagles had defeated the Ethiopians 2-1 in the first leg of the play-offs in Addis Ababa last month. The Ethiopians need at least a 2-0 margin win over Nigeria in Calabar to secure  the ticket to Brazil while a simple draw is all the Nigerians need to book a place for the 2014 World Cup finals.