Super Eagles eye history at Soccer City

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be at home
when they clash with Les Etalons of
Burkina Faso in the Final of the 29th
Africa Cup of Nations at Soccer City on
Sunday.
In football championships, the accident of
fixtures place some teams at home and
some away, even when the host nation is
not involved. Most of the time, playing at
home means very little. But at times it can
confer minimal advantage, such as having
the first choice of jersey and having your
National Anthem played first.
Significantly, it has no bearing whatsoever
on the crowd, which simply decides which
team to support. Of the five matches the
Super Eagles have played at the Africa
Cup of Nations in South Africa, leading to
the Final, they have only played at home
once.
And that, incidentally, was their first
match of the competition against Burkina
Faso, which fixture will now repeat itself
for the Final match in Soweto on Sunday.
Against Zambia (1-1), Ethiopia (2-0), Cote
d’Ivoire (2-1) and Mali (4-1), Nigeria were
the away team. Against Les Etalons on
Sunday, they are back at home.
Sunday’s showpiece will take place at the
same venue that hosted the Final match
of the 20th Africa Cup of Nations, on
February 3, 1996 between South Africa’s
Bafana Bafana and the Carthage Eagles of
Tunisia. Then, it was known as First
National Bank Stadium.
The venue also hosted the Final match of
the World Cup on July 11, 2010, between
Spain and The Netherlands. Then, there
had been change of name to Soccer City.
The Final match of the 29th Africa Cup of
Nations on Sunday will pitch Nigeria and
Burkina Faso against each other, in what
will be the first truly all-West African Final
since Cote d’Ivoire prevailed over Ghana
11-10 on penalties at the Stade Leopold
Senghor Stadium, Dakar on January 26,
1992.
Cameroon and Nigeria have battled three
different Final matches (the Indomitable
Lions winning all) and Senegal lost on
penalties to the Lions in Mali in 2002. But
Cameroon, despite being Nigeria’s
immediate neighbours to the east, is in
Central Africa.
Coach Stephen Keshi (pictured right), 51,
will become only the second man to have
won the Africa Cup of Nations as player
and coach once the Super Eagles fly
above the Etalons in Sunday’s showdown.
Keshi lifted the trophy the last time
Nigeria won it, on April 10, 1994, in
Tunisia. Christian Chukwu, who was
captain when Nigeria won it in 1980, was
handed an opportunity to make history
but his Eagles only mined bronze in
Tunisia in 2004. He was assistant coach
when Nigeria won in 1994.
Austin Eguavoen, another member of the
1994 team, won bronze as coach in Egypt
in 2006.
On Sunday, Nigeria striker Emmanuel
Emenike will aim to become the first
Nigerian to be named top scorer of the
tournament since Jay-Jay Okocha tied on
four goals with four other players at the
2004 Nations Cup, but was given the
award based on a greater number of
assists.
Also, midfield ace John Mikel Obi could
be the first Nigerian named most valuable
player of the tournament since Jay-Jay
Okocha won the award in 2004. Other
Nigerians to have won the prestigeous
award are Christian Chukwu (1980) and
Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory, 1994).
Late Yekini was also top scorer at the 1992
(four goals) and 1994 (five goals)
tournaments.
Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo, who played
at five previous finals in Mali, Tunisia,
Egypt, Ghana and Angola but has only
bronze medals to show, will be a happy
man when the Eagles lift the trophy on
Sunday.
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR,
will sit beside South Africa’s leader Jacob
Zuma inside the presidential box on
Sunday, but it is not yet known if
President Blaise Compaore of Burkina
Faso will travel to Johannesburg.
If the Super Eagles get past the Stallions,
they will move behind only Egypt,
Cameroon and Ghana on the number of
tournaments won.
At the moment, they are tied on two wins
each with Democratic Republic of Congo,
who won in 1968 and 1974.
Article by: Colin Udoh