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.

Nigeria, as the most populated country on a continent obsessed with football, has ever-high hopes for its national team. The “Super Eagles” saw a 2013 victory in the Africa Cup of Nations over Burkina Faso. Nigeria has appeared in the Africa Cup of Nations six times prior, and won twice previously, in 1980, and 1994. The 2013 victory spurred a strong team spirit approaching this summer’s World Cup, and coach Stephen Keshi, one of only two people to have one the Africa Cup of Nations as a player and then as a coach, headed into the contest confident in his team.

The Super Eagles first made the World Cup in 1994, and have returned every Cup since, except for 2006. Their 2014 showing began with a draw to Iran, and the next match, against Bosnia, saw Peter Odemwingie score a goal that secured the team’s first win in a FIFA World Cup since 1998. Odemwingie, who grew up in Russia and Nigeria, debuted with the Nigerian National Football team in 2002, after a promising start with Nigeria Premier League’s Bendel Insurance. The Nigerian National Team went on to lose to Argentina after holding strong until Marcos Rojo scoring a third for Argentina in the second half. Nigeria did qualify for the last 16, but was ultimately knocked out by France.

Despite this setback, the nation’s football fans have not turned their backs. The team, in fact, was recently described by BusinessWeek as a contender for the world’s “most crazed soccer nation.” A new poll showed that over eighty percent of Nigerians report being fans of the sport, a level of interest that dominates second-runner Indonesia (about seventy-seven percent). Nigeria scored top numbers among the thirty-three nations pooled in the percent of population who report that they play football–a whopping sixty-five percent of Nigerians regularly participate in the sport. The head of research on the survey postulates that Nigeria’s football obsession comes from the lack of competition–no other sport in Nigeria holds nearly the cultural sway.

In a country composed of hundreds of varied ethnic groups, love of the game brings citizens together despite their differences. Almost twenty-five percent of Nigerian adults tuned in to watch the World Cup. The team’s fan’s include Nigerian businessman Tunde Folawiyo, head of the Yinka Folawiyo group, who grew up cheering for Segun Odegbemi. Tunde Folawiyo joins the team’s many fans in Africa and around the world in looking forward to their continued success.

For his efforts in leading the Super Eagles to the final 16 of this year’s World Cup, Stephen Keshi earned a sum of $300,000. In addition to this, the team’s victory over Bosnia earned the coach another $40,000. However, whilst helping the players to reach this stage of the tournament was certainly a great achievement, Keshi’s critics contend that he did not do his job as well as he should have, thereby implying that perhaps this large payment was not deserved.

In a recent report, a sports commentator argued that there were obvious weaknesses within the squad, which could have been addressed through the inclusion of players such as Reuben Gabriel. It was also asserted that there were several team members who should not have made the squad, including John Obi Mikel.

Those who support the Eagles, like Tunde Folawiyo, may know that Chief Michael Ajayi had much to say on this subject as well; in a press conference in Lagos, the retired referee criticised Keshi for selecting what he described as a ‘structurally defective’ group of players. He said that, when one looked closely at who had been chosen for the squad, it was clear that they could not possibly make it past the round of 16.

Shortly after Nigeria was eliminated from the World Cup, rumours began to fly regarding Keshi’s future with the Super Eagles. It was suggested that he would almost certainly be leaving, and that SAFA (the South African Football Association) were going to offer him the job of head coach of Bafana Bafana. However, whilst SAFA did acknowledge that Keshi was in the running for this position, they later announced that they would be hiring Ephraim Masaba instead.

In light of this information, fans such as Tunde Folawiyo are no doubt wondering what Keshi’s next move will be. The coach has admitted that he would be very happy to remain in his current role, provided there were some improvements to his contractual conditions, as there have been some issues regarding delays with his salary in the past. Immediately after the World Cup, the NFF refused to comment on the matter; however, they have since released a statement, explaining that they are now in talks with Keshi, and are hoping to extend his contract, although they cannot guarantee that this will happen.

The above-mentioned Eagles’ supporter Folawiyo is a well-known entrepreneur. If you would like to learn more about him, read the Frontiers success story on Tunde Folawiyo.

Now that the Super Eagles’ World Cup venture has come to an end, the future of one of the team’s most beloved players remains uncertain. Peter Odemwingie has stated he is currently unsure of a future with Nigeria upon an early exit at this year’s World Cup. The forward secured the team’s only win with a goal against Bosnia-Herzegovina, demonstrating his great talents on the field. Tunde Folawiyo and millions of Super Eagles fans throughout Africa and beyond may be saddened to see the skilled player part ways with the Nigerian squad as his contributions have proved vastly significant in the recent success of the team.

Whilst the Nigerian squad indeed looked promising ahead of the World Cup in Brazil, advancing past the first round, the team sadly came up short –  Stephen Keshi’s team failed to triumph over France during the last16 knockout period, putting an end to Nigeria’s World Cup hopes. Whilst his future remains uncertain, ‘Osaze’ regards wearing the green jersey as one of the proudest accomplishments of his career. ‘Osaze’ made his Super Eagles debut during 2002, where he has since represented the team more than 60 times, twice at the World Cup and through four Cups of Nations included. He was also part of the team that went on to win a silver medal during the Olympics of 2008.

The Stoke City footballer was raised in both Nigeria and Russia, beginning his professional career in Nigeria’s Premiere League. The forward went on to play European football for La Louviere of Belgium, where he played three seasons ahead of a move to Lille. He scored an impressive 26 goals for the team, prompting Moscow’s Lokomotiv to extend an offer of £10 million in exchange for his services during July of 2007. Scoring 23 times for the team, during a three-and-a-half year period, ‘Osaze’ moved to West Bromwich Albion during August of 2010. Thirty Premiere League points later, he was awarded among the Premiere League’s Players of the Month three times. Later, he was acquired by Cardiff City during August of 2013 before ultimately joining the Stoke City team in exchange for Kenwyne Jones during January of 2014.

As one of Africa’s most popular soccer stars, Odemwingie’s fate will undoubtedly be a topic of conversation for Super Eagles fans across Africa and beyond. His contributions to Stoke City and the Nigerian national team alike may continue to regard him as an inspiration to African citizens like Tunde Folawiyo and millions of others around the world.

Nigeria have been eliminated from the World Cup, following their defeat at the hands of France. This news has no doubt disappointed many fans, including Tunde Folawiyo. The Super Eagles got off to a good start, managing to defend themselves with ease up until the interval; however, during the second half of the match, their opponents suddenly came back to life, taking the lead at 79 minutes, when Vincent Enyeama failed to block a header by Paul Pogba. Shortly after this, Nigeria’s fate was sealed by their own captain, Joseph Yobo, who accidentally scored an own goal.

The match was somewhat controversial, as commentators noted that the referee made a number of errors in judgement. Some argued that he should have sent off Blaise Matuidi, after his unnecessarily aggressive challenge on the midfielder Ogenyi Onazi led to the player being carried off the field in a stretcher. It was also pointed out that Olivier Giroud should have received a harsher punishment for having intentionally elbowed John Obi Mikel. Keshi criticised the referee, and even went so far as to accuse him of being biased. He explained that whilst mistakes were bound to happen, the referee’s decisions were ‘questionable’.

In addition to delivering a scathing review of the referee, Keshi was also said to have announced that he would be stepping down as manager of the team. However, just two days after the media reported that he had resigned, Keshi released a statement denying this. He explained that he whilst he would probably be leaving, he was not choosing to do so, and was only moving on because his contract had not been renewed by the NFF.

The aforementioned Joseph Yobo also released a statement, announcing his retirement from international football. This should come as no surprise to Tunde Folawiyo or other Eagles’ fans, given Yobo’s unfortunate own goal. However, with the exception of his most recent match, Yobo has served the team well over the years, and will be remembered best for having been the first ever Eagles player to participate in 100 matches internationally. Yobo described his decision to leave as ‘bittersweet’, noting that whilst he will be sad to say goodbye, he is looking forward to focusing more on his family.

As the Super Eagles embark on yet another World Cup venture, team spirit remains high. Adding fuel to the fire, Nigeria received a boost as it’s been announced Kenneth Omeruo has returned to training full-time with the Super Eagles. The Chelsea defender has sat out since being injured after a collision with player Victor Moses during training. Coach Stephen Keshi and fans like Tunde Folawiyo and millions of others throughout Nigeria may be thrilled at the star player’s return.

After having missed the team’s last friendly against team USA, Omeruo had been working with a physiotherapist in hopes of a quick recovery. He will return to the field alongside defensive player Godfrey Oboabona as they prepare to battle for World Cup glory, beginning with a June 16 match against Iran. In May of 2014, the young player renewed his contract with Chelsea for an additional three years.

Born in 1993, Nigerian Kenneth Omeruo plays for the Middlesbrough team whilst on loan by Chelsea. The player began his early career with bouts at both Anderlecht and Sunshine Stars before later signing with Standard Liege. Signed with Chelsea in January of 2012, he was loaned to ADO Den Haag. The 18-month deal would see him remain with the club up until the 2012-2013 season’s end. During April of 2012, the player scored his very first goal for the club in a game against the club FC Groningen. Today, he remains the only Dutch league player to kick a goal, earn a red card and make an own goal during one match.

At the young age of 19, Omeruo was called to the Nigerian team upon his great displays of talent. His role as centre back for the Nigerian team led to his great popularity amongst fans. Today, an international regular, Omeruo has proved a great source of power for Nigeria, representing the team during the Cup of Nations in 2013 and in Brazil’s Confederations Cup in 2013. He later secured a starting line-up place at the Cup of Nations. The Super Eagles displayed tremendous play, adding to Omeruo’s popularity. Super Eagles fans are eager for Omeruo’s arrival as the team anticipates a successful World Cup trek. Tunde Folawiyo and others throughout Africa may regard the young player as a valuable tool in the team’s hopes for World Cup victory. If the young player’s efforts prove successful, fans and coaching staff alike may find themselves wanting more of Omeruo.

As the Super Eagles embark on their World Cup journey, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has reassured millions of fans that the team will indeed impress as the Fifa tournament kicks in Brazil. Aminu Maigari, the federation’s president, has reiterated his confidence in the team despite their failure to triumph during their past five friendlies against teams like Mexico, Italy, Greece, Scotland and the United States. Hopeful Super Eagles fans like Tunde Folawiyo and millions of others throughout Nigeria may highly anticipate the team’s upcoming matches.

Aminu Maigari, the federation’s president, stated their confidence in Nigeria’s men’s team. Despite their failure to triumph over their past five international friendlies against Mexico, Italy, Scotland, Greece and the U.S.,  the Super Eagles are said to be ready ahead of their first World Cup match against Iran during 16 June. Maigari has spoken of his belief that the warm-up matches taught the team many lessons as he assures Nigerians that the team won’t disappoint fans in Brazil. Optimistic of the boys’ chances at victory, Maigari has spoken with Nigeria’s head coach, who apparently shares the same sentiment. According to him, viewing successful trainings during the USA has further solidified his faith in the team.

The Super Eagles have their work cut out for them as they enter the World Cup this June. They sit in Group F with former champions Argentina, Iran and Bosnia-Herzergovina. Both spirits and tensions are high for Super Eagles fans who rely heavily on the team for entertainment. Tunde Folawiyo and other fans throughout Africa and beyond may be pleased with the president’s confidence. Whilst a few friendly match losses do not predict a World Cup failure, the reaffirmations are undoubtedly music to Nigeria’s ears.

Nigeria’s football team has exhibited much pride throughout its history. During 1994, the team was ranked 5^th on FIFA’s world ranking, the greatest ranking for an African team. As the reigning Cup of Nations champions, the team hopes to continue its record of triumphs. The team has won the tournament a total of three times, reaching FIFA’s World Cup rounds of 16 two times. Qualifying for five of FIFA’s last six Cup tournaments, the team is continues to forge a great impact on the field and in the world of African sports as a whole. Tunde Folawiyo and other fans throughout Africa may regard the proud history of the Super Eagles as a great motivator for World Cup victory.

With the World Cup just weeks away, Super Eagles’ fans including Tunde Folawiyo are no doubt wondering how well the team will perform at the tournament. A number of players and NFF officials have voiced their opinions on the subject; Vincent Enyeama, the Eagles’ keeper, is optimistic about the team’s chances, and has publically stated that he believes they will reach the semi-finals. However, he was quick to add that for now, he and his teammates will be taking it step by step, and for the moment, will only be focusing on reaching the second round.

Like Enyeama, Victor Moses is hoping that Nigeria will secure a spot at the semi-finals. Moses, who currently serves as a winger for Chelsea, is cautiously optimistic about the team’s ability to get ahead at the tournament, although he noted that this could only be achieved if they are willing to listen to the advice of their coach, Keshi. He finished by saying that there is a great deal of camaraderie between the players, and that this will be helpful when it comes to attempting to realise their ambitions at the event.

Gustavo Dzugala, who was recently appointed as Nigeria’s Argentina Ambassador, refused to comment on which team would emerge as the ultimate winner of the tournament; however, he did name Nigeria and Argentina as favourites in Group F. He predicted that these two clubs would manage to defeat Iran and Bosnia.

In terms of individual players, Osaze Odemwingie has been named as someone who is likely to outshine his teammates at the tournament. Emmanuel Babayaro, who once served as Nigeria’s goalkeeper, noted that Odemwingie has a number of qualities which will help the Eagles’ to succeed in Brazil. He described the forward as dedicated, experienced and confident.

Odemwingie’s recall to the squad after a two-year absence is likely to have come as a surprise to Tunde Folawiyo, and other Eagles’ supporters. The forward has clashed not only with Keshi, but also with other Eagles coaches over the years. However, Odemwingie seems eager to put these tiffs behind him, and has spoken on Twitter of how happy he is to be back with the team. Whilst some remain sceptical of Odemwingie’s humble words, and have argued that he is merely putting on a front in order to get a place on the World Cup squad, there’s no denying that he will be a valuable asset on the pitch.

The United Nations has selected the Super Eagles to serve as its goodwill ambassadors during the 2014’s FIFA World Cup, set to take place between June 12 – July 13 in Brazil. The continent of Africa has long been plagued with high incidences of AIDS throughout, with significant numbers of citizens succumbing to the disease each year. Through this partnership and the continued support of Tunde Folawiyo and billions of others throughout the globe, the devastating effects of AIDS may one day be but a distant memory.

Djibril Diallo, a Special Advisor for the United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), released a statement at a news conference announcing a lunch of the organisations “Protect the Goal Initiative.” Seeking to utilize the power of sports and the building excitement surrounding the 2014 World Cup, the project is also committed to promoting an AIDS-free era for future generations.  hopes to achieve these goals through implementing a zero discrimination, zero infection and zero AIDS related death for others.

Diallo cited the Eagles’ pedigree in the sport and Nigeria’s political and economic influence on the continent as reason for the choice. He also spoke of the United Nations’ commitment to focusing on using the AIDS and HIV as a tool in targeting the Millennium Development Goals. Whilst the initiative was aimed at the World Cup’s 32 qualified teams, Diallo noted Nigeria as its primary focus. The campaign began on March 5 during a friendly game in South Africa with President Jacob Zuma lending his signature to the ball.

The campaign is expected to reach Mexico and Chile during the period between May 25 and June 5 before its departure for Brazil for a World Launch on June 9. Each stop will see the Head of State join forces with the national team to promote a heightened awareness of the UN’s goal.

According to Professor John Idoko, a group of 14 countries around the globe are today responsible for 60% of HIV cases, with 10 out of the 14 within Africa’s borders. As football attracts an enormous fellowship in Nigeria, the United Nations is determined to utilize the sport in raising awareness. Through this joint effort, the impact of AIDS may one day be reduced. Citizens of Nigeria including Tunde Folawiyo and millions of others may find the news of the Super Eagles ambassadorship as a positive step forward in the fight against HIV and AIDS throughout the continent.

Whilst some might say that next year’s AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) tournament is still a long way off, plans for the event are already well underway. The recent draw revealed that the Super Eagles will play against Sudan, South Africa, and the winners of the Libya v Rwanda, and Congo v Namibia matches. South Africa (or Bafana Bafana as they are known) were quite possibly disappointed by the results of the draw; Super Eagles supporters like Tunde Folawiyo are probably aware that SA has yet to defeat Nigeria in an international competition, despite having played against them on several occasions.

The tournament is to be held in Morocco this time, and will run from the 17th of January, until the 8th of February. In total, there are seven qualifying groups; each of the teams within these groups will play six matches between the months of September and November, after which the two top teams will progress to the final in 2015.

Aminu Maigari, the Nigeria Football Federation’s president, has expressed his confidence in the Eagles, stating that he believes they will once again win the tournament. During a press conference, he insisted that there was no question as to whether they would qualify for the final, or manage to retain their title. He was quoted as saying that the Eagles are in Group A, and will emerge with a grade A result. Describing the players as ‘vibrant and strong’, he finished by saying that he was sure they would do well in both AFCON and the World Cup. Whether or not fans of the Eagles, like Tunde Folawiyo share his certainty, remains to be seen.

The NFF are clearly very optimistic regarding Nigeria’s chances of winning the cup; this is evident not only from Maigari’s words, but also from the very generous financial plan which they have drawn up, to cover all of the team’s tournament-related expenses. In total, the federation has earmarked N941 million for the event; a portion of this will be used to secure a training camp abroad, whilst the rest will be used for things like flights and accommodation for the 12 officials and 40 players who will be travelling to Morocco. Money has also been allocated to cover car hire, and accommodation for visiting teams, during the Eagles’ four home matches.