Daily Independent (Lagos)
Peter Edema
7 June 2011
Super Eagles media officer, Collin Udoh, has allayed fears over the possibility of Super Eagles not qualifying for the 2012 African Cup of Nations courtesy of its second place position in the group qualifying matches.
Guinea Syli Stars tops group B with 10 points with Super Eagles training with three points. While guinea has scores 10 goals and conceded three, Nigeria has scored eight and conceded three. Nigeria has plus five goals while Guinea has plus seven.
Because of the Guineans superior goals difference, Nigerians have become jittery fearing that Guinea will take the group should both countries tie on points.
However, Udoh allayed such fears on Tuesday saying the first consideration should two or more teams tie on points is their head to head result.
“Kindly note that the tie-breaker to decide final group placements at the end of the 2012 CAF African Nations Cup qualifier is the head to head result between any two teams involved,” Udoh said.
“This is clearly spelt out in Article 14 of the Regulations for the 2012 African Nations Cup. It was also the same for the 2010 edition.
What this implies is that as long as the Super Eagles beat Madagascar in September, they only need to win by two clear goals against Guinea in Abuja in October to win the group.”
According to him, Article 14 of the Nations Cup qualifying series says, “In case of equality of points between two or more teams, after all the group matches, the ranking of the teams shall be established according to the following criteria: Greater number of points obtained in the matches between the concerned teams; Best goal difference in the matches between the concerned teams; Greater number of goals scored in the group matches between the concerned teams; Greater number of away goals scored in the direct matches between the concerned teams; Goal difference in all the group matches; Greatest number of goals scored in all the group matches and A drawing of lots by the Organising Committee of CAF.
meanwhile, Samson Siasia is gunning for a 3-0 win away to Madagascar in September to get the Super Eagles 2012 Nations Cup campaign back on track.
“We can still make it. If we score three unreplied goals away to Madagascar, which is quite possible, and we beat Guinea at least 2-0 at home since they beat us 1-0 when we last visited them, then we will be home and dry. I have been told they will use the head-to-head rule in deciding the winners of the group,” Siasia said..
“It is not over now until the last game, even though the Guineans won 4-1 in their own match. If we had lost, it could have been over by now. All we have to do now is to watch our videos and make our corrections.
“We didn’t play well against Ethiopia and so we shouldn’t give any excuses. We didn’t play like we ought to, although there were the problems of fatigue, high altitude and other minor things. But the truth is that we didn’t attack the way we should have done and that element of urgency and determination to win the game were not in our game.
“We don’t want this kind of things to happen to us anymore. So, we need to win our remaining two matches away to Madagascar and at home in Abuja to Guinea.”
Siasia continued: “This time around we are going to Madagascar with players who are very positive minded and that could go out there and do their best for the nation. I guess we played better against Argentina because the stake was high. Our bane was coming to play with Ethiopia with a relaxed kind of attitude which actually killed us.
“I think we have learnt a bitter lesson and we just have to forge ahead and make good plans to win the remaining two matches.
“I know that we need to score as many goals as possible against Madagascar and Guinea to have a chance. I can also take solace in the fact that I have a side who can score goals. We have been scoring four, four, three, three goals in our recent games.
“We just have to carry that same attitude into the remaining two matches and also defend properly and we will get there.”
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