Tunde Folawiyo

After several weeks of negotiating, Stephen Keshi has officially agreed to continue serving as the coach of the Super Eagles. He sent his formal letter of acceptance to the Nigerian Football Federation last week. The news of the coach’s contract renewal will no doubt come as a relief to Tunde Folawiyo, and other Super Eagles fans, as it means that the team now have the leadership they need to prepare for the first of their AFCON qualifying matches, which is to be held on the 7th of September.

The team are set to face Rwanda, Sudan and South Africa in the Group A matches next month. Rwanda was named as one of their opponents after their outstanding penalty shootout against Congo resulted in a 4-3 victory. They will be travelling to Nigeria to play the Eagles. Although the Wasps performance against Congo was impressive, Eagles’ fans like Tunde Folawiyo are probably not too concerned, given how well their team played at AFCON last year.

More upheaval may be on the cards for the Super Eagles in the near future, as Sammy Amoebi, who currently plays for Newcastle, has expressed a desire to devote his senior career to Nigeria, much like his brother Shola has. In an interview, Sammy said that it would be a great honour to join the Eagles, adding that after seeing how happy his older sibling was with the club, he is sure that he too, would fit in well.

There have also been rumours that Kelechi Iheanacho, a player who rose to fame during his time with the ‘Super Eaglets’ last year, might be joining Nigeria’s senior team in the very near future. His performance at the U-17 World Cup 2013 was outstanding; the seven assists and six goals which he provided were instrumental in helping his team to win this title. His efforts did not go unnoticed, with the committee awarding him both the Golden Ball and the Silver Boot for his hard work on the pitch. During the same year, he was given the title of ‘Most Promising Youngster’ by the CAF.

However, opinions are divided on whether Iheanacho would do well if he joined the Super Eagles. Sports journalist Solace Chukwu contends that integrating into the senior Nigerian team might be too overwhelming for the young man, but James Ezimoha believes that the Eagles need some fresh faces, and that Iheanacho could provide the commitment, passion and zeal that the existing squad so desperately need.

Although football is something which interests Folawiyo greatly, he also has many other passions, including entrepreneurialism. Those who want to learn more can read about the Tunde Folawiyo success story on Frontiers.

With the first of their AFCON qualifying matches looming, the Super Eagles are now working hard to ready themselves for this event. Nigeria have been named as the favourites to win in Group A; however, many say that the Eagles should not underestimate the abilities of their opponents, as to do so could deal a fatal blow to their progress in this important tournament.

Rwanda, whom the Eagles are due to play in Group-A, have been doing well under the guidance of their new manager, Stephen Constantine. Their recent victory over Libya, the 2014 CHAN champions, serves as a testament to how far they have come over the past few months. Coupled with their impressive performance against Congo this month, there is little doubt that they are now capable of giving Nigeria a run for their money. Tunde Folawiyo, and other Eagles’ fans, are probably not too concerned however, given that Nigeria defeated Rwanda quite easily at the 2014 AFCON tournament, finishing with a result of 2-0.

Nigeria will also have to face Sudan and South Africa. The latter are due to play the Eagles at the Cape Town Stadium on the 10th of September. Danny Jordan, the president of the SA Football Association, acknowledged that playing against the reigning AFCON champions at such a huge stadium would be a daunting task for Bafana Bafana. He added that for Shakes Masaba, who has just joined the club as head coach, this would be an especially gruelling experience.

Whilst there is no question that Nigeria have a tough road ahead of them, Olakunle Fayiga, a sports journalist, believes that with Keshi at the helm, they will have little difficulty in retaining their title. Discussing the coach’s many achievements during the past three years – from helping them to win CHAN in 2013, to leading them to their best World Cup performance in almost two decades in 2014 – Fayiga praised the dedication and discipline which Keshi has instilled into the team during his time as coach.

The journalist noted that, due to the respect which Keshi commands, there are now no longer any issues with players failing to honour call-ups, or showing up late to training camps. Fayiga finished by describing the Nigerian as being superior, in terms of his coaching skills, even to Clemens Westerhof, a man widely considered to be the greatest coach the Eagles has ever had. This is a bold statement, but it is one which many fans, including Tunde Folawiyo, might agree with.

As an Eagles supporter, Folawiyo likes to use social media to keep up to date with events in the world of football. To read about his thoughts on this subject, follow Tunde Folawiyo on Twitter.

Nigeria’s quest to defend their crown will begin in September with the qualifier for the Morocco 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. With Super Eagles fans such as Tunde Folawiyo on the edge of their seats, the fixtures have now been revealed:

6th September 2014              Nigeria v Rwanda

10th September 2014           South Africa v Nigeria

11th October 2014                Sudan v Nigeria

15th October 2014                Nigeria v Sudan

15th November 2014            Rwanda v Nigeria

19th November 2014            Nigeria v South Africa

Rwanda

The Super Eagles’ first fixture will be against the Amavubi of Rwanda at a venue yet to be named. Under new coach Stephen Constantine, Rwanda have made impressive progress, eliminating Libya 3-0 on aggregate in the first qualifying round. Basking in confidence after their 2-0 win against Congo, they will surely be looking to add Nigeria to their list of wins.

South Africa

South Africa is rated as the weakest contender of the three, but with Serero’s flashes of brilliance and a few other good players amongst their ranks, Nigeria should be confident but never complacent.

Sudan

Sudan, under coach Mohammed Abdallah Mazdah, will be giving their all to qualify after bitterly missing out to Ethiopia in 2013.

The Africa Cup of Nations will be held from 17th January to 8th February 2015, with Morocco hosting the tournament for a second time. After a persuasive 1-0 victory against Burkina Faso in South Africa in 2013, the Super Eagles will be giving their all to hold onto the title.

Emmanuel Emenike was a major contributor to the Super Eagles’ 2013 Africa Cup of Nations success, scoring a free kick from an astounding 30 yards and three other goals in the tournament, earning him a place in the team of African Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament and the Pepsi Tournament Top Scorer accolade.  Mba gave another impressive performance in the final, breaking the team out of deadlock against Burkina Faso just before the whistle. Once they had broken into the lead, the Nigerian team were unstoppable, running rings around their opponents, earning them a place at the Confederation Cup in Brazil.

The burning question of Super Eagles supporters like Tunde Folawiyo is whether the team can hold onto the top spot this year in Morocco and lift the Africa Cup again. To discover more about this Super Eagles enthusiast and award winning African businessman, visit the Tunde Folawiyo profile page.