Peter Rufai insists the Super Eagles will only triumph in their Group B Russia 2018 World Cup qualifying double-header against Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions if Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr features players who are ready to fight on the pitch.
The Eagles host their fierce rivals in Uyo on August 31 and travel to Yaounde for the reverse fixture on September 4.Nigeria sit atop the group on six points, followed by African champions Cameroon on two points. Zambia and Algeria who are other teams in the group have one point each.
Rohr has been hit by a goalkeeping crisis in the run-up to the double-header after his first choice keeper Carl Ikeme was diagnosed with acute leukaemia last month. And Rufai, who expressed concern over the goalkeeping crisis facing the Eagles, warns Rohr not to gamble on team selection over the two legs.
Rufai, who represented Nigeria at the USA ’94 and France ’98 World Cups, says Rohr should feature good quality and experienced players to enable the Eagles to survive the highly physical Cameroonian players.
The former Stationery Stores shot-stopper believes Rohr and his charges had learnt some lessons from their 2-0 defeat by South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Uyo on June 10.”
On the goalkeeping crisis facing the Eagles ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, the former Lokeren keeper said the Nigeria Football Federation Technical Committee would help Rohr as the German searches for Ikeme’s replacement.
Report by Miyen Akiri
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