FORMER Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick has predicted that the Super Eagles will win the next Africa Cup of Nations for his successor Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau.
Pinnick handed over to Gusau last September after spending eight years in the position, and the former president believes Gusau will celebrate with the AFCON trophy in February in Cote d’Ivoire.
Although the Super Eagles are yet to qualify for the tournament as they get ready to face Sierra Leone in Monrovia, Liberia tomorrow, Pinnick is already looking beyond the qualifying campaign.
“I’ll like to thank the president for upholding that culture of what we started, the oneness in the Super Eagles, in spite of the difficulties we’re going through,” Pinnick said during a visit to the team camp at the Eko Hotel, Lagos yesterday.
“I’ll always support him and his first major trophy will be the AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire, and that’s why I’m here.”
Although the Super Eagles have not won the AFCON trophy since 2013 and the best they did during Pinnick’s tenure was the third-place finish in Egypt in 2019 after failing to qualify twice, the FIFA Council member insisted that Nigeria had the best players in Africa and would overcome the other teams, including champions Senegal.
He namechecked some Super Eagles players as he boasted about the side’s chances.
Pinnick added: “Forget all those faces you see; Senegal, all those people. You’re better than them.
“Who’s better than Osimhen, who’s better than Chukwueze, who’s better than Omeruo, who’s better than Awoniyi, who’s better than even Musa? Look at you people, who’s better than you?
“But on the pitch of play we want you people to demonstrate this all the time. You have a good technical crew. So by tomorrow, you’ve already qualified. I know that, by God’s grace.
“So trust me, I’ll always be with my brother (Gusau) to support him. I’ve told him to throw away the bad things we did and take the good ones. Please support him, he’s a good man.”
The Super Eagles are currently second in qualifying Group A but will be back on top with at least a draw tomorrow, which will also secure a ticket to the tournament scheduled for January and February next year.
Incidentally, Pinnick also boasted that he was certain the Super Eagles would qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, but they lost their play-off tie with Ghana on the away goals rule.
