- Nigeria national football team
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Nigeria Nickname(s) Super Eagles, Green Eagles Association Nigeria Football Federation Sub-confederation WAFU (West Africa) Confederation CAF (Africa) Head coach Stephen Keshi Captain Joseph Yobo Most caps Nwankwo Kanu (87)[1] Top scorer Rashidi Yekini (37) Home stadium Abuja Stadium FIFA code NGA FIFA ranking 44 Highest FIFA ranking 5 (April 1994) Lowest FIFA ranking 82 (November 1999) Elo ranking 41 Highest Elo ranking 5 (31 May 2004) Lowest Elo ranking 87 (27 December 1964) Home coloursAway coloursFirst international _ Sierra_Leone_0–2_Nigeria_ Sierra Leone 0–2 Nigeria
(Freetown, Sierra Leone; 10 August 1949)[2]Biggest win Nigeria 10–1 Dahomey
(Lagos, Nigeria; 28 November 1959)Biggest defeat Gold Coast 7–0 Nigeria
(Accra, Gold Coast; 1 June 1955)World Cup Appearances 4 (First in 1994) Best result Round of 16, 1994 & 1998 African Nations Cup Appearances 16 (First in 1963) Best result Winners, 1980 & 1994 Confederations Cup Appearances 1 (First in 1995) Best result 4th, 1995 Olympic medal record Men’s Football[3] Gold 1996 Atlanta Team Silver 2008 Beijing Team The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994. They won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the Africa Cup of Nations on two occasions, and have reached the FIFA World Cup finals four times.
Contents
History
World Cup record
FIFA World Cup record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA 1962 Did not qualify 1966 Withdrew 1970 to 1990 Did not qualify 1994 Round of 16 ? 4 2 0 2 7 4 1998 Round of 16 ? 4 2 0 2 6 9 2002 Group Stage ? 3 1 0 2 1 3 2006 Did not qualify 2010 Group Stage ? 3 0 1 2 3 5 Total 4/13 14 5 1 8 17 21 After playing other colonies in unofficial games since the 1930s,[4] Nigeria played its first official game in October 1949, while still a British colony. The team played warmup games in England against various amateur teams like Dulwich Hamlet, Bishop Auckland and South Liverpool. The team's first major success was a gold medal in the 2nd All-Africa games, with 3rd place finishes in 1976 and 1978's African Cup of Nations to follow. In 1980 the team had such players as Leyton Orient's John Chiedozie and Tunji Banjo, and the Muda Lawal / Christian Chukwu-led Super Eagles won the Cup for the first time in Lagos. In 1984 and 1988, Nigeria reached the Cup of Nations final, losing both times to Cameroon. Three of the four African titles won by Cameroon have been won by defeating Nigeria. Missing out to Cameroon on many occasions has created an intense rivalry between both nations. Two notable occasions; narrowly losing out on qualification for 1990 World Cup and then the controversial final of the 2000 African Nations Cup where a goal scored by Victor Ikpeba during a penalty shoot out was disallowed by the referee[citation needed].
1994 World Cup
Nigeria finally reached the World Cup for the first time in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. They were managed by Clemens Westerhof. Nigeria topped its group which included Argentina, Bulgaria, and Greece. In its first game Nigeria defeated Bulgaria 3–0, lost to Argentina 1–2, and qualified for the second round after a 2–0 victory over Greece. In the second round Nigeria played Italy and took the lead with a goal from Amunike at 25 min. Nigeria were within two minutes of qualifying for the Quarter finals of 1994 World Cup in the game against Italy but Roberto Baggio scored to take the game to extra time. He also scored the eventual winning goal.
1998 World Cup
In 1998 Nigeria returned to the World Cup alongside Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia, and South Africa. Optimism was high due to its manager Bora Milutinović and the return of most 1994 squad members. In the final tournament Nigeria were drawn into group D with Spain, Bulgaria, Paraguay. Nigeria scored a major upset by defeating Spain 3–2 after coming back twice from being 1–0 and 2–1 down. The Eagles qualified for the second round with a win against Bulgaria and a loss to Paraguay. The team's hopes of surpassing its 1994 performance was shattered after a 1–4 loss to Denmark.
2002 & 2006 World Cups
The 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea and Japan, saw Nigeria again qualify with optimism. With a new squad and distinctive pastel green kits the Super Eagles were expected to build on its strong performances in the 2000 and 2002 African Cup of Nations. Nigeria were drawn into group F with powerhouses Sweden, Argentina, and England. The first game against Argentina started with a strong defence that kept the first half scoreless. In the 61st minute Gabriel Batistuta breached the Nigerian defense to put Argentina in the lead 1–0 and win the game. Nigeria's second game against Sweden saw them take the lead but later lose 2–1. Nigeria then drew 0–0 with England and bowed out in the first round.
Nigeria missed out on qualification for the 2006 World Cup after finishing level on points in the qualification group with Angola, but having an inferior record in the matches between the sides.
2010 World Cup
On 14 November 2009, Nigeria qualified for the 2010 World Cup after defeating Kenya by 3–2 in Nairobi.[5]
Nigeria lost its opening match against Argentina 1–0 at Ellis Park Stadium following a Gabriel Heinze header in the 6th minute.[6] In its second game Nigeria led early on by a goal from Kalu Uche. A red card against Sani Kaita gave Greece the advantage. Greece scored the equalizer late in the first half and Nigeria conceded the second goal in the second half and lost the game 2–1. They then drew 2–2 with South Korea and failed to qualify for the next round. On 30 June 2010, following its early exit and poor showing, the President of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan suspended the national football team from international competition for two years.[7] This suspension put the team at risk of being banned from international football by FIFA for reasons of political interference.[8] On 5 July 2010, the Nigerian government rescinded its ban of the national football team from FIFA/CAF football competitions,[9] but the sanction of suspension was applied by FIFA some three months after.[10] On October 4, 2010, Nigeria was indefinitely banned from international football due to government interference following the 2010 World Cup.[10] Four days later, however, the ban was "provisionally lifted" until 26 October, the day after the officially unrecognised National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) dropped its court case against the NFF.[11]
12 June 2010
16:00Argentina 1–0 Nigeria Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg
Attendance: 55,686
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)Heinze 6' Report
17 June 2010
16:00Greece 2–1 Nigeria Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Attendance: 31,593
Referee: Óscar Ruiz (Colombia)Salpigidis 44'
Torosidis 71'Report Uche 16'
2010-06-22
20:30 UTC+2Nigeria 2–2 South Korea Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban
Attendance: 61,874
Referee: Olegario Benquerenca (Portugal)Uche 12'
Yakubu 69' (pen.)Report Lee Jung-Soo 38'
Park Chu-Young 49'TeamPld W D L GF GA GD Pts Argentina 3 3 0 0 7 1 +6 9 South Korea 3 1 1 1 5 6 −1 4 Greece 3 1 0 2 2 5 −3 3 Nigeria 3 0 1 2 3 5 −2 1 African Nations Cup
Nigeria won the African Nations Cup twice (1980 and 1994). More recently they took third place at the 2002 African Nations Cup, the 2004 African Nations Cup, the 2006 African Nations Cup, and the 2010 African Nations Cup.
Recent results
Main article: Nigeria national football team 2011Coaching staff
Position Name Manager Stephen Keshi Assistant Manager Daniel Amokachi Assistant Manager Valere Hoaundinou Coach Sylvanus Okpala Goalkeeping Coach Ike Shorunmu Current squad
The following players were called up to the Nigeria squad for the November 2011 friendlies vs. Botswana and Zambia. Caps and goals current as of November 12, 2011.[12]
# Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Austin Ejide April 8, 1984 21 0 Hapoel Petah Tikva 16 GK Vincent Enyeama August 29, 1982 63 1 Lille 20 GK Chigozie Agbim November 28, 1984 0 0 Warri Wolves 2 DF Joseph Yobo (Captain) September 6, 1980 81 6 Fenerbahçe 3 DF Taye Taiwo April 16, 1985 51 5 Milan 4 DF Uwa Elderson Echiéjilé January 20, 1988 15 0 Sporting Braga 5 DF Dele Adeleye December 25, 1988 10 0 Tavriya Simferopol 6 DF Chibuzor Okonkwo December 16, 1988 8 0 Heartland 13 DF Efe Ambrose October 18, 1988 10 0 Ashdod 18 DF Gege Soriola November 21, 1988 0 0 Free State Stars 22 DF Ugo Ukah January 18, 1984 0 0 Widzew Łódź DF Ayila Yussuf November 4, 1984 31 1 Dynamo Kyiv 7 MF Mikel John Obi April 22, 1987 37 2 Chelsea 8 MF Chinedu Obasi June 1, 1986 19 2 1899 Hoffenheim 9 MF Ahmed Musa October 14, 1992 12 1 VVV-Venlo 11 MF Joel Obi May 22, 1991 10 0 Internazionale 19 MF Fegor Ogude July 29, 1987 7 0 Vålerenga 24 MF Kalu Uche November 15, 1982 31 3 Neuchâtel Xamax 27 MF Nnamdi Oduamadi October 17, 1990 0 0 Torino MF Dickson Etuhu June 8, 1982 18 0 Fulham 12 FW Ikechukwu Uche January 5, 1984 33 12 Granada 14 FW Peter Odemwingie July 15, 1981 54 9 West Bromwich Albion 15 FW Emmanuel Emenike May 10, 1987 5 1 Spartak Moscow 23 FW Victor Obinna March 25, 1987 44 11 Lokomotiv Moscow 26 FW Ekigho Ehiosun May 12, 1989 5 1 Samsunspor 28 FW Ideye Aide Brown October 10, 1988 4 0 Dynamo Kyiv FW Edward Ofere March 28, 1986 0 0 Lecce FW Victor Moses December 12, 1990 0 0 Wigan Athletic FW Jude Aneke April 23, 1990 0 0 Kaduna United Recent callups
The following players have also been called up to the Nigeria squad within the last 12 months.
Pos. Player Date of Birth (Age) Caps Goals Club Latest Callup GK Dele Aiyenugba November 20, 1983 17 0 Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv v. Guinea, Oct. 7, 2011 (ACNQ) DF Danny Shittu September 2, 1980 32 0 Queens Park Rangers v. Madagascar, Sept. 4, 2011 (ACNQ) DF Yusuf Mohamed November 5, 1983 11 0 Al-Hilal v. Ethiopia, June 5, 2011 (ACNQ) DF Michael Odibe July 23, 1988 1 0 Arsenal Kyiv v. Sierra Leone, February 9, 2011 (Friendly) DF Abdulwasiu Showemimo October 10, 1988 1 0 Kano Pillars v. Sierra Leone, February 9, 2011 (Friendly) MF Emmanuel Ekpo December 20, 1987 1 0 Columbus Crew v. Ghana, October 11, 2011 (Friendly) MF Solomon Okoronkwo March 2, 1987 4 0 Aalesund v. Madagascar, Sept. 4, 2011 (ACNQ) MF Nosa Igiebor November 9, 1990 0 0 Hapoel Tel Aviv v. Madagascar, Sept. 4, 2011 (ACNQ) MF Isaac Promise December 2, 1987 0 0 Manisaspor v. Ethiopia, June 5, 2011 (ACNQ) MF Oluwafemi Ajilore January 18, 1985 5 0 Brøndby v. Sierra Leone, February 9, 2011 (Friendly) MF Osas Okoro September 11, 1991 1 0 Heartland v. Sierra Leone, February 9, 2011 (Friendly) MF Julius Ubido December 29, 1984 1 0 Heartland v. Sierra Leone, February 9, 2011 (Friendly) FW Peter Utaka February 12, 1984 8 3 OB v. Ghana, October 11, 2011 (Friendly) FW Victor Anichebe April 23, 1988 10 1 Everton v. Madagascar, Sept. 4, 2011 (ACNQ) FW Shola Ameobi October 12, 1981 0 0 Newcastle United v. Ethiopia, June 5, 2011 (ACNQ) FW Obafemi Martins October 28, 1984 37 18 Rubin Kazan v. Kenya, March 29, 2011 (Friendly) Managers
- John Finch (1949)
- Elliot Williams (1954–1956)
- Les Courtier (1956–1960)
- Jerry Beit haLevi (1960–1961)
- George Vardar (1961–1963)
- Jorge Penna (1963–1964)
- Daniel Anyiam (1964–1965)
- József Ember (1965–1968)
- Peter 'Eto' Amaechina (1969–1970)
- Karl-Heinz Marotzke (1970–1971)
- Jorge Penna (1972–1973)
- Karl-Heinz Marotzke (1974)
- Tihomir 'Tiki' Jelisavčić (1974–1978)
- Otto Glória (1979–1982)
- Gottlieb Göller (1981)
- Festus Onigbinde (1983–1984)
- Chris Udemezue (1984–1986)
- Patrick Ekeji (1985)
- Paul Hamilton (1987–1989)
- Manfred Hoener (1988–1989)
- Clemens Westerhof (1989–1994)
- Shaibu Amodu (1994–1995)
- Jo Bonfrere (1995–1996)
- Shaibu Amodu (1996–1997)
- Philippe Troussier (1997)
- Monday Sinclair (1997–1998)
- Bora Milutinović (1998)
- Thijs Libregts (1999)
- Jo Bonfrere (1999–2001)
- Shaibu Amodu (2001–2002)
- Festus Onigbinde (2002)
- Christian Chukwu (2002–2005)
- Augustine Eguavoen (2005–2007)
- Berti Vogts (2007–2008)
- James Peters (2008)
- Shaibu Amodu (2008–2010)
- Lars Lagerbäck (2010)
- Augustine Eguavoen (2010)
- Samson Siasia (2010–2011)
- Stephen Keshi (2011–)
Top goalscorers
List of Nigeria's top ten highest ever international goalscorers. Players in bold still eligible for selection.
Goal scored Player name 37 Rashidi Yekini 23 Segun Odegbami 21 Yakubu Aiyegbeni 18 Obafemi Martins 17 Sunday Oyarekhua 14 Daniel Amokachi 14 Jay-Jay Okocha 14 Julius Aghahowa 13 Nwankwo Kanu 13 Samson Siasia FIFA World Cup record
FIFA World Cup record Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA 1930 Did Not Enter 1934 1938 1950 1954 1958 1962 Did Not Qualify 1966 Withdrew 1970 Did Not Qualify 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 Round of 16 9th 4 2 0 2 7 4 1998 Round of 16 12th 4 2 0 2 6 9 2002 Group Stage 27th 3 0 1 2 1 3 2006 Did Not Qualify 2010 Group Stage 27th 3 0 1 2 3 5 2014 To Be Determined 2018 2022 Total Round of 16 4/19 14 4 2 8 17 21 References
- ^ Mamrud, Roberto; Stokkermans, Karel. "Players with 100+ Caps and 30+ International Goals". RSSSF. http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/century.html. Retrieved 4 February 2011. "Mudashiru Lawal played 86 matches for Nigeria and was considered record holder before, but his total includes more than 13 unofficial matches."
- ^ Courtney, Barrie. "Sierra Leone – List of International Matches". RSSSF. http://www.rsssf.com/tabless/sier-intres.html. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- ^ In the era of Nigeria's Olympic successes, the tournament has been restricted to squads with no more than three players over 23 years of age, and these matches are not usually regarded as part of the national team's record
- ^ http://www.tribune.com.ng/27122009/news/sports7.html Nigeria's First Football Captain
- ^ "Kenya 2–3 Nigeria". ESPN. 2009-11-14. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=262945&cc=5739. Retrieved 2009-11-14.
- ^ "Argentina 1–0 Nigeria". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/matches/match_04/default.stm. Retrieved 14 June 2010.
- ^ "Nigeria president suspends team". BBC Sport. 2010-06-30. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8777118.stm. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
- ^ Adigun, Bashir; Gambrell, Jon (30 June 2010). "Nigeria's president suspends soccer team". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2010-06-30-2295293910_x.htm. Retrieved 30 June 2010.
- ^ "Nigerian government rescinds ban". ESPN Soccernet. 2010-07-05. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/story/_/id/806158/ce/uk/?cc=5739&ver=global. Retrieved 2010-07-0.
- ^ a b "Fifa issues world ban to Nigeria". BBC News. 4 October 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/9060018.stm.
- ^ "Fifa lifts Nigeria's suspension". BBC Sport. 8 October 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/9075312.stm. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
- ^ Enyeama, Etuhu get Nigeria recalls
External links
- Official Nigeria Football Federation website
- Kick Off Nigeria- Nigerian Football/soccer news
- Cyber Eagles- Nigerian Football discussion forum
- Nigeria Soccer News
- RSSSF archive of results 1955–2008
- SuperEaglesNation.com
1896:No football tournament · 1900: United Kingdom · 1904: Canada · 1908: United Kingdom · 1912: United Kingdom · 1916:cancelled · 1920: Belgium · 1924: Uruguay · 1928: Uruguay · 1932:No football tournament · 1936: Italy · 1940:cancelled · 1944:cancelled · 1948: Sweden · 1952: Hungary · 1956: Soviet Union · 1960: Yugoslavia · 1964: Hungary · 1968: Hungary · 1972: Poland · 1976: East Germany · 1980: Czechoslovakia · 1984: France · 1988: Soviet Union · 1992: Spain · 1996: Nigeria · 2000: Cameroon · 2004: Argentina · 2008: Argentina
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