Former Nigerian International Fires Warning to Super Eagles Ahead of AFCON Qualifiers

Former Nigerian International Fires Warning to Super Eagles Ahead of AFCON Qualifiers

Babajide Orevba
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:24 PM
  • Peter Ijeh has urged the Super Eagles to prepare well for the 2023 AFCON qualifiers
  • Nigeria lead Group A with six points with Guinea-Bissau coming close, while Sierra Leone and Sao Tome and Principe are bottom
  • Ijeh warned the Eagles not to underrate any team, saying no team is a pushover in today’s football

Former Nigerian international Peter Ijeh has urged the Super Eagles not to underrate any team as the AFCON qualifiers approach.

The 45-year-old, who is the manager of Swedish Division 2 club side Vargarda IK, emphasised that qualification for such a tournament is not automatic and that the Super Eagles must wrestle their way through.

Nigeria currently tops the Group A standings of the qualifiers with 6 maximum points.

Super Eagles, AFCON, Peter Ijeh, Jose Peseiro
Peter Ijeh cautions Super Eagles ahead of the forthcoming AFCON qualifiers. Photo: Carlos Rodrigues
Source: Getty Images

Guinea Bissau is second with 4, while Sierra Leone are third with one point. Bottom of the group are Sao Tome and Principe with zero points.

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African News reports that the third and fourth rounds of qualifying for the 2024 Cup of Nations are scheduled for March 2023.Match days five and six will be held in June with the sixth day set for September.

Ahead of their match against Guinea-Bissau on March 23, Ijeh, who made five appearances for the national team, told Sports Brief:

“We all can agree that qualification is not automatic except you are the host country. With that been said, the Super Eagle must wrestle their way through all games because in nowadays soccer, no team is a pushover.
“The World Cup expresses variation of formats and players specifics. I guess coaches and players have learnt a lot."

Ijeh added that most African teams will now try to emulate what the Moroccans did at the last FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He added:

“I have heard many analysts craving for African teams to adopt the Moroccans style. That will be an error. Little did we know that all players/human in different continents are built differently.”

Jose Peseiro reveals plans to win AFCON

Sports Brief earlier reported that Nigeria national coach, Jose Peseiro has revealed that he is building a team to win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast next year.

The Portuguese trainer took over as coach of the Super Eagles after Augustine Eguaveon failed to see the three-time African champions to qualification for the World Cup in Qatar.

According to Peseiro, the Super Eagles have what it takes to be back at the top of African football.

Authors
Babajide Orevba photo
Babajide Orevba
Babajide Orevba is a CAF accredited Nigerian journalist and HOD of the Local Desk with over 10 years of experience in media landscape.He studied NCE Political Science/Social Studies, AOCOED.
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