FEDERAL CHARACTER reports that Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa has urged Nigerians to maintain faith in the team as they aim to win a fourth Africa Cup of Nations championship at the 34th edition of the competition, which takes place in Ivory Coast from January 13 to February 11.
Group A comprises Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and hosts Ivory Coast in addition to the three-time champions.
Musa’s request came in response to the Eagles’ dismal performance in their pre-AFCON friendly against Guinea, which ended in a 2-0 loss on Monday at the Bani Yas Stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Their one-week training camp in the Middle East came to a conclusion with the game, and on Wednesday (today), they will leave for Lagos and head to the Ivory Coast.
Musa maintains that the team is confident heading into the AFCON, despite the setback that cast a shadow on their tournament preparations.
“Everyone is eager to visit Abidjan and is filled with excitement. When the campaign began following the last game in Uyo, we promised ourselves that we would go there and shine. We are unable to dispute the squad’s quality because we can clearly see it. Anything can happen in football, but we are confident,” Musa said to NFF TV.
“Even the coach has set himself the goal of winning the AFCON.” I only want Nigerians to have faith in the group; with their help, we can do great things.
Only Musa and Kenneth Omeruo are still with the current team from Nigeria’s 2013 AFCON winning squad in South Africa.
The 31-year-old scored in Nigeria’s 4-1 semifinal victory over Mali and also entered as a substitute in the championship match against Burkina Faso in 2013.
Nigeria, the tournament’s winners in 1980, 1994, and 2013, will take on Equatorial Guinea on Sunday, January 14, in an attempt to win a fourth championship in Ivory Coast. Four days later, they will face the hosts again when they play Guinea Bissau in their final group match on January 22.
