Ahead of the Super Eagles crucial World Cup playoff against the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia on Sunday, President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday visited the team during training at Addis Ababa stadium.
The President, who was returning to Abuja after attending the extra-ordinary summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, used the opportunity to boost the morale of the team.
He urged them to beat the Antelopes, saying that after picking the qualification ticket, they should go to Brazil in 2014 to prove to the world that Nigeria has really come of age in international soccer.
He told the players, “Surely you will make it, the spirit is there. I wish you success. It is a determining match.
“Definitely, we have been going to the world cup, but this year we are not just going to the world cup, we will make an impact. The world will begin to know that we have arrived as a nation.
“We give you all the encouragement required. Thank you for what you are doing for us”.
Responding, Aminu Maigari, President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) thanked the President for the visit, noting that he would go down in history as the first Nigerian President to visit the national team during training twice in a row.
He said, “I assure you, we will be able to deliver and we will deliver. We will do our best. We have a good team.
“Goodluck Jonathan is the only President who has created time amidst his tight schedule to be with the super eagles twice. This is the biggest motivation and we will make you proud. We will be in Brazil”.
