BY JACOB AJOM
Former Nigeria international Taribo West is confident, the Super Eagles will do so well at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil that at the end of the tournament, their performance will shock the rest of the football world.

Taribo

Taribo, a veteran of two World Cups – USA ’94 and France ’98 – told Sports Vanguard at Campos mini-Stadium in Lagos yesterday, during launch of the MTN Football Scholar programme that “there is something very unique going for the present squad of the Super Eagles and that is what will make them shock the world.”

Looking back, he acknowledged that Nigeria had never gone beyond the second round in her three previous appearances at the quadrennial global showpiece, Taribo said, “This time it is going to be different because I see this team breaking that jinx. They will go beyond the second round.”

Continuing the once dreadlocked defender but who is now clean shaven said, “in our time we had a fantastic team with exceptional players. This team is different.

Their strength is that they play as a unit and they have a lot of self belief. In South Africa last year, very few gave them any chance in the tournament but they went ahead to win it, the first by a Nigerian team since 1994. That winning aura is still very much present in the team.

The former defender who is now a Pastor said he did not like the pressure being exerted on the coach to invite certain players to the team. “The noise about whether Keshi should invite Ike Uche and Osaze Odemwingie to camp is uncalled for. The coach knows what he is doing. The team has been doing well without these two players.”