Austin Jay Jay Okocha
SUPERSPORT.COM
Former Super Eagles mercurial play maker, Austin Jay Jay Okocha has said that there is enough time for the senior Nigerian team to blend into a formidable squad before commencement of hostilities at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in January.
Although Okocha refrained from setting a target for the Super Eagle, he however insisted that he expects a decent outing at the AFCON 2013 outing in South Africa.
“Three months is enough time for us to prepare for the competition. We will go there and try to do our best. It would be unfair for me to set a target for the team because we have been struggling recently,” observed Okocha who remains one of the greatest players to come out of the continent despite not winning the CAF Player of the Year award.
Okocha was at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar to cheer the Eagles to a 6-1 victory over Liberia’s Lone Star in the final round of qualifying for the 2013 AFCON.
“I want to commend the players for this outstanding feat (of beating Liberia 6-1). I am very happy that we have made it to the Nations Cup. That was our main target and I am sure that every Nigerian is happy that we have qualified for the competition,” Okocha exclusively told supersport.com.
Okocha, a member of arguably Nigeria’s finest football side that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1994, commended the team under Stephen Keshi’s watch for qualifying for the continental showpiece after missing the last edition.
“We have taken a huge step (by qualifying for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations) in making sure we get to where we want to be,” he said.
The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations will kick off on January 19 and Okocha believes the Nigeria team will have adequate time to complete preparations for the tournament.
“I believe three months is enough time for us to prepare for the competition. We will go there and try to do our best but like I said earlier, it would be unfair of me to set a target for the team,” he stated.
Okocha made his debut for Nigeria in 1993; scoring 14 goals in 73 international appearances.