Nigeria- 2010 Semi Finalists
I have just read an article on one of the major footballing websites that Pele has tipped Nigeria to reach the World Cup semi final next year in South Africa. This is not a joke and is not a sarcastic dig at Pele or Nigeria, it is really something Pele has said. Despite the fact the Super Eagles are rubbish, Lazy and lacking discapline, the Brazil legend thinks they can reach the last 4. Pele was in the Nigerian capital to drum up support for Brazils bid to host the Olympics in 2016 so i wonder if that had anything to do with his latest prediction. Pele also met president Umaru Musa Yar’Adu. It will be intersting to see how close he comes to this prediction but in my opinion this will not happen. Nigeria are not even on course to qualify at the moment as lie in 2nd place behind Tunisia so they have allot of work to do if they are to finish top of the group, then win another qualifying round, then finish in the world cup group above a team of similar ability and 2 teams that are allot better, then probbably beat another 2 teams that are allot better than them to get to the last 4.
Pele did go on to mention how African football has become allot nearer the standard of the rest of the world over the last 10 years but i dont think its that close really is it. Did anyone watch the last African Nations Cup. We did see all of the world class superstars that we see play in Europe but the team game is still not there or nowhere near some of the smaller nations in Europe or South America
