adminHonourable Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi has congratulated the home-based Super Eagles for qualifying for the CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) taking place in January 2014 South Africa.
The team qualified for the championship for the first time ever after a 4-3 aggregate win over the home-based Elephants of Cote’d’Ivoire. Although the Eagles lost the return leg 0-2 against the Ivoirians, their superior 4-1 victory in the first leg, which took place in Kaduna earlier, was good enough to ensure qualification for the team.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) introduced the CHAN in 2009 and it is strictly for home-based footballers in the national teams. The Honourable Minister commended the players and technical team for a job well done and assured the team of support as they proceed to the championship.
“I congratulate the coaching crew and all the players for the hard work, discipline and brilliance which ensured that Nigeria has qualified for the CHAN for the first time,” he said. “I am particularly pleased with the performance of the footballers who gave their best in and out of the field. This goes to show the depth and quality of the Glo Premier League.”
He also noted that the success of the team has demonstrated that the Eagles’ AFCON win was not a fluke and an indication that Nigeria is about to dominate African football for a long time to come.