Eagles’ll fly over France – Maigari

African champions, Nigeria, have the quality to torpedo France from the 2014 FIFA World Cup, so says president of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Aminu Mohammed Maigari.
The 58–year old administrator has presided over Nigeria football for the past four years and is excited at the litany of records his board has set on and off the pitch.
“We are not done yet. I can tell you that the Super Eagles will overcome France on Monday and that will be another glorious record,” he said as he flew out of Sao Paulo to Brasilia yesterday morning.
On Wednesday, as Maigari celebrated his birthday, the Super Eagles had a marvellous game against two–time world champions Argentina to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 for the first time in 16 years, and defeat of France today will mean a first–ever World Cup quarter–final for the world’s most populous black nation.
“I have confidence that we will beat France. If you have followed our campaign well, you would notice that we have improved match after match. We came close to upsetting Argentina in Porto Alegre. We do not fear France.
“We believe we will fly over France but we have to focus on what we have to do to win that match, and not start thinking of what Maracana would look like. We must think of Monday before thinking of Friday,” Maigari told a horde of media men at the local wing of Guarulhos Airport.
Maigari’s words of wisdom contrast with the attitude of players and coaches before a similar Round of 16 match against Denmark at the 1998 World Cup, with Nigeria thinking of a quarter final duel with Brazil before clashing with the Danes.
The Eagles lost that match 4-1, and Denmark forward Brian Laudrup cautioned at the post–match parley that “Nigeria must learn to count one before four.”