By JACOB AJOM

First Vice Pesident of the Nigeria Football Federation, Chief Mike Umeh has dismissed the notion that the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia can stop the Super Eagles from going to Brazil 2014 World Cup, saying that the East Africans were only “making empty boasts”

Umeh who hailed the Super Eagles for getting the maximum points from the first leg of the crucial two-legged qualifier said, “if the Ethiopians, with all the altitude and poor playing surface could not beat the Eagles in Addis Ababa, I wonder how they are going to turn the table in Calabar, where we are yet to lose a match since we started the campaign.”

Although he admitted the East Africans will be out to prove a point and deserve some measure of respect, Umeh insisted,  “the NFF board is working diligently to ensure the Ethiopians are beaten and the Super Eagles book their place in Brazil”

The former Enugu Rangers chairman said Coach Stephen Keshi is on track and that the success of the team, so far, had a lot to do with the cooperation it has received from the NFF board “For once, Nigeria is on the verge of booking a ticket to a World Cup final without much tension, no task force or the usual attendant panicky  measures that had become synonymous with past efforts”

On the international friendly against Italy, the NFF chieftain pointed that it was part of the programme aimed at keeping the players in top shape for the challenges ahead “If the logistics are okay, it will be very good for the team to play a top quality opposition like the Italians”.