The road to Russia 2018

Sunday Oliseh

BY AMOS ETUK

We could not have asked for a better draw as the foundation journey to Russia 2018 World Cup started last week with the draws held in the designated host country in the presence of the embattled FIFA President, Sepp Blatter who found safety, comfort and freedom in the warmth of the Kremlin of President Putin.
The preparations have started in earnest and countries have started their plans in ensuring that they qualify to be at perhaps one of the most controversial host country of the World Cup in modern history as the Russians currently swimming in global spotlight of controversies including racism have shaken off every known criticisms and resistance to remain prepared and focused in welcoming all thirty two countries in the summer of 2018.
For Africa, the road to the next mundial has been divided into three stages as the big guns have clearly been separated from meeting each other till the group stages where winners of all five groups will emerge and proceed to represent the continent with hopes of breaking our quarter final best appearance so far.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been given a bye as one of the top ten African teams in the first round and will wait for the outcome of the fixtures where minnows have been paired as we await the winner of the first round between Swaziland and Djibouti.
In fairness to football pundits, Yours sincerely believes that the Super Eagles will easily qualify to the group stages as the opposition between Swaziland and Djibouti  will not pose a threat for the country to proceed to the final group stages next year where the main challenge will begin.
However,  we are faced with the fact recently that the Super Eagles currently are in a process of climbing up the hill after the Stephen Keshi disaster years and these fixtures which ordinarily should not cause Nigerians any worries or grey hairs of sleepless nights in view of our unconvincing past displays  will be another chance to prove critics wrong that the Eagles are back and ready to fly once again under Coach Sunday Oliseh whose tenure will be filled with much on the pitch action.
The draws for the World Cup fixtures also comes after our big game against Tanzania for the 2017 Nations Cup as we play away and the pressure will be on the team to win especially with Egypt topping the group.
That means, the Eagles will have to play like champions and ensure that results will remain meaningful  and they must take this form into the World Cup qualifiers and Oliseh must ensure that his players do not express any form of overconfidence in their approach to the fixtures as minnows in recent global fixtures have turned the tide against bigger teams.
The biggest challenge the Eagles will face ahead of the journey to Russia 2018 will be the quality of players that will adorn the senior national team jersey and the resolve of coach Sunday Oliseh to overcome the mounting pressure on him to accept players from lower leagues who have been outstanding but have strong links with government officials and even members of the football body to influence their call up to the national team.
Like I stated in my piece last week, the World Cup is a birth right for Nigeria having featured in the Mundial in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014 and we recall that in 1994 and 1998, we were among the first set of countries who qualified for the games winning our matches with convincing results and instilling utmost fear in our opponents with the quality of players that ruled the continent and shook the global stage.
This is not the season to bring rookies into the senior national team, we have passed the season(s) of experimental processes with the Super Eagles and Oliseh must make up his mind of his team he presently sees can make great fortunes of successes for the country and make him one of our best coaches that would make him stand tall in our football fans hall of fame of great tacticians in the mould of Father Tiko,  Adegboye Onigbinde,  Clemence Westerhoff,  Bonfere Jo,  Philipe Troussier and Amodu Shuiabu.
The road to Russia will be no child’s play especially when we get to the group stages where one team will automatically qualify for the mundial with five teams representing Africa and we must work knowing that no team wants to play second fiddle and that some teams may be referred to as minnows may spoil the party for us while playing in their homes and make qualification difficult.
We must avoid the challenge of making qualification a nightmare where the last stages becomes another set fixtures of  mathematical calculations as we hold our breath with gasped expectations as witnessed and experienced in previous qualifications.
Now that we have witnessed the likely scenario of what the rest of the season will be for the Super Eagles, the Nigeria Football Federation and the Coaching crew led by Sunday Oliseh must begin to work immediately with laudable programmes that will keep the Super Eagles in shape and ready for the battles to conquer Africa and the world in the nearest future.
There is the need to begin to organise high profile friendly matches for the team as we must prepare for a strong quest in the challenge to make it to Russia. we must take advantage of the few FIFA windows left for the year as we must realise that the remaining games for the Eagles will be focused on the continent and we must reach out to sister countries especially the top ranked teams as we parade our best players to get the expected results.
The technical committee of the football body and the coaching crew must have an understanding based on merit that would put the interest of the country first in making their final decisions on the choice of players that will be called up as we do not expect any distractive sentiments on the team’s preparations.
One cardinal issue that has always been an albatross of the Super Eagles has been the show of shame that has always pitched players and the football body on a war path over the issue of allowances being delayed or diverted and these scenarios is not new to Sunday Oliseh but we must try to avoid it especially as this will be Amaju Pinnick’s first test of qualification since he assumed office.
We aware that almost every World Cup qualification for Nigeria has been tainted with controversies that has made the country a global laughing stock with the last World Cup in Brazil not being an exception and this is where Oliseh is expected to show his patriotic traits as a leader in meeting his employers to clear any issue that would bring any distrust or misunderstanding in making the team fail to achieve its set targets.
For now, Oliseh must take each match with all amount of focus to win and the psyche of his players must be with the tone of the needed professionalism that will make them excel and the controversies of match venues for our home games during the World Cup qualifiers should not be an issue as witnessed in the Kaduna fixture during our game with Chad which got Captain Vincent Enyeama the axe with the football body as the Eagles must have a fortress where it must be impregnable no matter the opposition as we must announce to the world that we are back on the continental stage with intimidating results.
At this period of our preparations, the Super Eagles need all the support they deserve especially as a new beginning beckons with a new look team whom the fans are willing to give all the benefit of doubts to excel. 
The fans will in the quest for qualification for a World Cup ticket will be integral in mobilsising support for our expected victories as the group stages will be as crucial as the team will try to minimise dropping points and the challenge of overcoming hostile fans at away games will be an obstacle we must overcome as we progress.
The supporters club will have the huge task of embarking on an aggressive mobilisation for the team especially with their members in other African countries in thronging away venues and cheering the team to victory. One other aspect we must begin to encourage is the issue of our fans wearing or patronising national team jerseys to match venues as this gives the players the boost and inspiration to excel and showcase their talents for the fans who must remain loyal and faithful in the team’s fortunes.
The Nigeria Football Federation under Amaju Pinnick must realise that qualification for the World Cup in 2018 will be the yardstick that would used in measuring their success in office as the Super Eagles remains our biggest brand and export and our failure will not be accepted.
The road to Russia 2018 will be exciting perhaps rough but can be conquered as Nigeria cannot afford to make mistakes or shoot itself in the foot with unnecessary distractions on the team’s preparations.
Being at the World Cup will bring a lot of beautiful memories that has added more value to our football and greater income into the coffers of the Nigeria Football Federation. Being among the world’s thirty two top teams on the global stage is much respect and having a team we can believe can go the extra mile for a successful outing for Africa would be another landmark.
The Eagles can fly on this road to greatness. It will not be a big deal, it will be a journey where passions will rise, emotions will flow and national pride will be at stake and as veterans of the World Cup on the continent, the mandate has been made simple and clear, get Nigeria to the World Cup in Russia and this mandate will be achieved as the sun rises for Sunday Oliseh and his team to make history in Nigerian football. We will walk and fly the path to victory.