Malik & Habib:
Thanks for your comments.

As I have been saying for a few days now, Cameroon is the real deal and they
shall humiliate Ireland & Germany in the WC.  Oh, I can't wait to see this
happen since the Euros have always looked down on our football, especially
the English who through BBC have taken it upon themselves to constantly
spread horror stories about the state of the ANC.  After all, there is
nothing like covering a tourney in Africa without the usual malaria story, or
one about the classic disorganization of Africans.  I think Africa's reps
shall surprise a few teams this time around.

On our OGA cousins, the problem with their team is that, in the past like the
Ghanaians, they would cheat in the underage FIFA tourneys.  Not only this,
but they would actually win these tourneys.  Classic case; Philip Osundu a
smallish figure who played in the 1985 U-17 tourney was rumored to have
started league football in Nigeria in 1971.  You do the math to figure how
old this player was in 1985.  Anyway, after his brilliant performance playing
in a league of kids in 1985 he was snapped up by Anderlecht in Europe.
However, there was a slight problem; the guy just would not grow bigger or
stronger much to the chagrin of eager Anderlecht officials who thought he was
the new Pele.  A similar thing happened with Nii Lamptey from Ghana.  Of
course after a few yrs of non-growth and advancement, Osundu was discarded.
Rumor has it that he is a janitor in Belgium these days.

So in short Nigeria's problem with the likes of JJ, Oliseh, Lawal & West and
Co is because all these guys are at least 6 years older than their reported
ages, they cannot run with younger fitter players like those for Senegal.
Most of them are over the hill, capito or finished.  I hope their smell the
coffee and get some help in select areas before the next WC.  One can never
discount Nigeria however because they have the deepest talent pool in Africa.
 I expect him to make a few changes before the WC.

On the new FIFA policy that ANC tourneys will now become the WC qualifier for
Africa, I think it is rubbish.  You see Issa Hayatou, president of CAF, is an
African despot of sorts.  We all know the story..  And to think the
inefficient geezer is running for FIFA president!

Yus

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