Imoke Happy With Eagles Draw, Says Calabar is Lucky Ground

by crossiverwatch admin

Cross River state governor,senator Liyel Imoke wants the Super Eagles to remain focussed on the qualification job for next year’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil following the draw Monday that pits the team against the Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia.

Imoke is delighted Nigeria will be playing the first leg away from home and hopes the job of securing Nigeria’s fifth World Cup participation will be completed in Calabar in November.

“I am really delighted the Super Eagles have been handed a fair draw and can now focus their attention on mapping out strategies to ensure Nigeria gets one of the five FIFA World Cup slots for Africa for Brazil 2014”, said Imoke in a statement.

The governor is particularly thrilled that Calabar, a city that has become the sporting capital of Nigeria, will play host to another epoch making event in Nigeria’s sporting history.

“We played host to the team on their way to conquering the rest of Africa last February in South Africa at the Africa Cup of Nations. We also hosted the Golden Eaglets to secure the ticket to next month’s FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates.

In track and field we hosted the trials for last month’s IAAF World Championships where Blessing Okagbare made history by winning an unprecedented ,100m, 200m and long jump trebble enroute her equally historic double medal winning feat in the World Championships in Moscow.

We are ready again to ensure we fulfill the expectations of all Nigerians by guiding the Super Eagles to book their flight to Brazil. Calabar has proved to be a lucky ground for Nigeria’s national teams’’, said Imoke.

The governor has called on the people of Cross who have always played the good host since the qualification series began over two years ago to double their support for the team when the second leg of the play-off game against Ethiopia is played at the U.J Esuene stadium in Calabar.

Ethiopia will host the first leg of the two-legged affair between 11 to 15 of October in Addis Ababa while the second leg will hold in Nigeria between November 15 and 19.

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