President turns up the heat

Obasanjo says Nigeria need a lot of luck in Japan

By Eniwoke Ibagere BBC Sport Online, Lagos

President Olusegun Obasanjo says he will accept "nothing less than a quarter-final place" from Nigeria's Super Eagles at the World Cup.

This is the message that Obasanjo asked sports minister Stephen Akiga to pass on to the team at a meeting in Japan.

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But the president did not appear confident when speaking in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.

"To succeed, they need prayers, adequate preparations and luck," he said.

"From what we have seen so far, they have prepared well and Nigerians are praying for them.

"Luck, which is important for a resounding success, can only be given by God."

Future plans

Akiga said that the team will not be disbanded if they fail to progress beyond the first round.

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"Fortunately, most of the players are young, so they can still be made to stay together for a long time," the minister added.

Nigeria has a history of rebuilding its national teams after dismal performances in major tournaments.

At the end of the African Nations Cup in February, the coaching crew was sacked and the team disbanded.

Akiga said that if the Eagles failed to "perform well" at the World Cup, the team's membership would "only be reviewed".

Cohesion

"We're going to have a situation where we already know who is going to play once there is a national assignment," Akiga said.

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"As such, there will not be any controversy over who is coming to play.

"We also want to avoid the problem of being unsportsmanly and solve the problem of indiscipline in our teams."

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Nigeria did not go beyond the second round in its two previous World Cup outings in 1994 and 1998.

Meanwhile, a 13-man official delegation and 350 members of the team's official supporters club are expected to arrive Japan on Friday.