Football Nigeria -- Eagles Etcetera

Nigeria has faced a fair share of age cheating allegations during FIFA Youth tournaments, at least until the era of MRI tests for U-17 players. FIFA introduced the MRI test in 2009 and claims that it is 99% accurate in identifying players who should be eligible at the U-17 level. What we do here is to test if the date of birth (DOB) reported by Nigeria's U-17 squads show a difference between the pre-MRI era and the post-MRI era. We are able to locate squad lists at FIFA tournaments or at the African Youth tournament in order to compare. What do we seek to find? Possibly, that cheating players in Nigeria (during pre-MRI era) report DOBs closer to FIFA cutoff date (i.e. First quarter of the year) in attempt to explain physical development that is more advanced than their teammates. This would be an anomaly since players of all ages in Africa undergo similar development with very little effect of age at the unorganized stages which may last till most players are close to 17. Thus,...

Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Ethiopia in Addis Ababa  provides Nigeria an advantaged position on the road to Brazil 2014. However, it took several twists and turns to create a riveting story all on its own. In the end, the 2-1 win was barely deserved but it demonstrated the spirit of an African champion. Below, I provide my review of the game. Background :  The game was on a soggy field and late afternoon heat in a high altitude environment that created difficult conditions particularly for Nigeria. But even Ethiopians took a water break after just 30 minutes. Difficult circumstances, indeed. The Game and Tactical Issues : Nigeria attempted to slow the pace of the game early mindful of the altitude and the heat. On the other hand, Ethiopia pressured the ball with the sole purpose of disallowing Nigeria any space with the ball and also upping the tempo of the game mindful of their advantage under the climatic conditions. Of course, the focus of this tactic wa...

Addis Ababa -- There are far more thorns on the road to the World Cup in Brazil than many Nigerians may think. On paper, Nigeria should overcome Ethiopia. After all, Nigeria has higher profile players,  better talents, and pedigree. However, let the truth be told -- the game in Addis Ababa on October 13 will be more challenging than most Nigerians expect.  We believe each factor below will help decide the game as no one factor ever decides a soccer game. Here we go: 1. The Altitude -- There has been much written on the importance of altitude in international games and this is a real advantage for the Ethiopians (2400 meters above sea level). Ordinarily, teams counter an altitude disadvantage by arriving early but this is impossible as Nigerian players are mostly playing overseas and will not be assembled to make it to Addis Ababa in time to overcome the altitude. Thus, Nigeria will employ the alternative strategy of arriving just a  day before the game and leaving rig...