By Tony Ubani, Sports Editor
AS the zero hour approaches swiftly for the all important 2010 World Cup cracker between the Super Eagles and the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia on September 6, Coach Amodu Shuaibu confessed yesterday that he may be sacked if the Eagles fail to fly past the North Africans.

Eagles

Tunisia lead Group B African qualifying with seven points, while Nigeria are second on five points after three rounds of matches. Kenya are third in the standings with three points and Mozambique are rooted to the bottom with a point. But the coach looking rather unruffled promised to come out of the encounter smiling.

Speaking during a Tom Tom Media parley with him yesterday at the Jade Restaurant in Ikeja, Lagos, Amodu said that he has done enough to make Nigerians smile at the end of the match that would be played at the National Stadium in Abuja. He took a cursory look at how he invited the players and promised that those who were not invited for the Tunisian match should wait for another opportunity. With particular reference to Wolfsburg player, Obafemi Martins, Amodu said that his non-invitation stemmed out of his attitudinal problem. “I sent emissaries to him but before he could make up his mind, the list had been drawn.

He may have scored one or two goals, but national team is a different terrain. We thought he needed time to settle down in his new club. But he called me to say he was ready but it was late.”

The coach who first coached the national team in 1994 also admitted that Chelsea’s Mikel Obi’s backward play was causing him sleepless nights but promised that he would get better with time in the national team. “Mikel should not be blamed because of his club role but we will get him to play more offensive.”