Former Super Eagles’ right-back, Mobi Oparaku has come out with an emphatic declaration that all players in the Nigerian national team need the qualification ticket to next year’s FIFA World Cup more than anyone else, Sports247 reports.
While commending the roles played by the supporters, top shots of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), as well as Eagles’ officials and the new coach, Eric Chelle, in getting the team back on track with victory away to Rwanda on Friday, Oparaku stressed that the biggest duty in ensuring qualification is achieved belongs to the players.
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Oparaku, who was part of Nigeria’s team to the 1998 World Cup in France and in the gold medal-winning squad at Atlanta ’96, argued that making it to the next Mundial is a task that must be achieved by the Eagles’ players, in order to boost each of their individual careers.
He reiterated: “They need to qualify for the World Cup … not me, the fans or journalists. It’s for the players! They need to go to the World Cup, and they have to try all they can in order to get there.”
The former Iwuayanwu Nationale (now Heartland) of Owerri defender, who made top marks while playing club football with a number of outfits in Belgium, reasoned further that the major task ahead of the Eagles is how to keep winning their remaining fixtures in these qualifiers, starting with Tuesday’s home game versus Zimbabwe in Uyo.
“They need to make sure they get another three points against Zimbabwe. Everybody has to be focused only on the three points in Uyo. Everybody has to stand firm for the three points, not only the coach. He has the first duty, because he is the one to take the decisions, but we all have our roles to play … most especially the players,” Oparaku stressed.
