With barely two weeks to the make or mar FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifier between the Super Eagles and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, Nigerian soccer fans have been told not to nurse any fears about the current African champions.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba who insists that there is nothing special about Cameroon told Sports Vanguard in Abuja that people should not continue to judge the Super Eagles based on their last game which they lost 0-2 to the visiting Bafana Bafana of South Africa last June.

According to Ogba, Nigeria lost the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier to South Africa due to a number of factors including the fact that most of the key players were not available for selection. “There is really nothing special about Cameroon. Yes they are the African champions, yes we know they just played in the FIFA Confederations Cup, but we will surely qualify for the Russia 2018 World Cup.

“Many people are expressing fears because we lost to South Africa in the AFCON qualifier, but we lost that match because most of our key players were out. Victor Moses was to undergo an operation then and there was this discussion whether he will play that match in June. If he had played, he would have gone for the operation later and that means he would not have been able to play against Cameroon.

Mikel was not there and the issue of Carl Ikeme is also there. “But this time. it is going to be a different thing altogether because most of our key players are ready to go, secondly the pressure is on Cameroon with just two points and thirdly, most of our players know that this is their last chance to play at the World Cup.

All these factors will motivate them to win that game. Let me also add that we have approved all the funds they will need to prosecute the two games against Cameroon next month “ The former first vice president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) further revealed that the federation has assured that they have put every necessary arrangement in place to ensure total victory on September 1 in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Source: Vanguard