Eagles ‘ll shock critics , Kanu

JOHN Egbokhan
Nigerian captain, Nwankwo Kanu has said that the Eagles would shock many critics who have written them off at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Kano and another player during a recent match

Despite finishing third at the 27th Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, the Nigerian side, still came in for some harsh words from observers who felt that the performance was quite poor from a team, populated by foreign based stars.

The bronze medal won by the team was deemed not good enough by the Nigeria Football Federation, who had to demote coach Shuaibu Amodu to the Home-based Eagles, while a frantic search for an expatriate coach is underway, with the shortlisted coaches set to storm Abuja for the screening.

Speaking on BBC World News, Kanu, who has been heavily criticised for his non-playing role at the Nations Cup, said that the 2010 World Cup would produce many shocks and that Nigeria would surpass the expectations of the doomsayers.

“The 2010 World Cup is a special one because it is the first time that a World Cup would be holding on an African soil and it is going to throw up many shocks in terms of results and performances by teams.

“We are not being favoured to do well but I can assure you that we are going to shock these big teams. The crucial thing is to win our first match and that would put on a solid footing to go far. We know the quality of the Argentines and Greece are also known to us. Both matches would be interesting and we are up to the task, irrespective of what people feel.