BY PAUL EREWUBA
CHAIRMAN of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Committee, Chris Green, believes that the Samson Siasia – coached Dream Team VI has what it takes to come out of their group and proceed to the group stage of the football event of 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil.
The Dream Team is drawn in Group B alongside Sweden, Colombia and Japan
Reacting to the draw, Green said his committee would now swing into action to study Dream Team opponents with the view of helping the team succeed.
“There is nothing spectacular about group B that we are in. The only thing is that we pray that it is favourable, because at this level of the tournament, every team is as good as the other and there is no minnows in football.
“It is not a situation where you pray to meet a lesser team. The job is now cut out for us in the technical committee. What we just need do now is to go ahead and begin to take a look at our opponents with a view to studying them and coming up with a pattern to outwit them at the Olympics proper.
“I see the Dream Team coming out of the group and going ahead to replicate the feat they performed in 1996 at the Atlanta Olympics. It is the desire and wish of every Nigerian to see the team progress to the group stage and even winning it, and that is what we are going to work on”, Green concluded.
In the same vein, former Super Eagles midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju said he was optimistic that the Dream Team would make Nigerians proud, but warned that adequate preparation is key if the team must scale the hurdles.
“Football has changed, every country wants to win. We have to prepare very well, so as not to falter when it matters mos,” he stated