ABUJA – Former Inspector-General of Police, Mike Okiro, on Tuesday advised the Super Eagles not to be scared of “big names’’ as they prepare for the 2014 World Cup.
Okiro told newsmen in Abuja that the team should go to the 2014 World Cup finals, which begins in Brazil on June 12, and fight their opponents “with team spirit’’.
“It is a known fact that the Super Eagles are going for the World Cup for the fifth time, but nothing changes in the pattern of the World Cup.
“It is still 11 players versus 11 players on the field. So, my advice to the Super Eagles as their preparation continues is not to be bothered by the `big names’.
“They should go out there and fight with team spirit and come back to Nigeria with the trophy.
“This is because if other countries have been doing it, we can also do it with the ambition and desire to succeed,’’ he said.
Okiro, who is the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), called on Nigerians to support the Super Eagles in their campaign at the mundial in Brazil.
“We need to all come out to support the Super Eagles if we want them to succeed in Brazil, because they are going there to represent us.
“The team members are Nigerians drawn from different states in the country. So, we must identify with them to give them the sense of belonging while representing us over there,” he said.
The Super Eagles have been drawn in the competition’s Group F with Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iran in the first round.
The 32-team FIFA World Cup is scheduled to hold in 12 Brazilian cities from June 12 to July 13. (NAN)
