Sports Briefs
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MIKEL Obi, Nigerian midfielder and Chelsea football star, who has been named the new Super Eagles captain, has appealed to all Nigerians to rally round the team as it prepared to trade tackles with the Pharaohs of Egypt in the Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series.
Obi, who was unveiled as the new captain of the team on Thursday, March 24, during a media parley at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna, pledged his commitment to the team and also promised to provide quality leadership.
According to him, with the new understanding in the team, the Super Eagles could now guarantee victory and success in the days ahead, adding that Nigeria would crush the Pharaohs today, Friday, March 25.
Obi, who has been one of the most valuable players in the national team since he made his senior debut in 2006, was overlooked by Sunday Oliseh, former coach of Eagles, who handed captainship band to Ahmed Musa, as the replacement for Vincent Enyeama.
During the unveiling, Musa said he decided to hand over the captainship to Obi because he (Obi) is his senior colleague in the team.
Obi first represented Nigeria at the U-17 Championship in Finland in 2003, as well as the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, where he won the silver ball for the second-best player at the tournament behind Lionel Messi, as Nigeria finished runner-up to Argentina.
He made his debut for the Super Eagles on August 17, 2005, when he came on as a second-half substitute in a 1–0 friendly win over Libya.
Obi also made his FIFA World Cup debut during the 2014 tournament in Brazil, winning a Man-of-the-Match award in the Super Eagles’ opening game against Iran and helping the team to reach the knockout stage for the first time since 1998.
The Nigerian side intensified their preparation for the encounter at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, ABS, yesterday with the players showing signs that they are ready to overcome the Egyptians.
— Apr 4, 2016 @ 01:00 GMT
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