Nigeria will qualify for 2018 World Cup – Pinnick

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Amaju Pinnick, has expressed optimism that the Super Eagles will qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.


Pinnick disclosed this after meeting the NFF technical committee on the choice of Frenchman Paul Le Guen as new Eagles’ technical adviser.

“By God’s grace we are going to qualify. We have worked round and have done everything possible. We have discussed with the players. There are a lot of things we have done. There is a level you can go in terms of providing everything,” Goal quoted Pinnick as saying on Nigeria World Cup aspiration on Tuesday.

“All what they need is mental character, we have to psyche them up. You have to give them the sense of patriotism.

“If you see what Ronaldo did, he was injured and he was crying when he was being taken out of the field. That is the kind of mentality we want our players to put up when they are playing for the team.

“Like I said, the 20 teams that qualified for the last round are all capable. I would rather play Algeria than to play Gabon.

“Gabon has never been to the World Cup and the players would want to go to the World Cup. I can assure you.”