SENEGAL 2015: Siasia’ll secure Rio 2016 ticket –Sanusi

BY GEORGE ALUO

THE nation’s soccer governing body, NFF, is sure Nigeria will be featur­ing in the soccer event of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The battle to decide the countries that would be flying Africa’s flag in Rio is being fought in Senegal in the African U-23 soccer championship beginning from this weekend, with Nigeria’s Dream Team VI being one of the gladiators.

NFF’s general secretary, Dr Sanusi Muhammed, while baring his mind on the Samson Siasia tutored side yester­day said there was nothing to worry about ahead of the Senegal show, in­sisting that Sia One and his lads will get the job done and secure one of the Rio 2016 Olympic tickets.

A place in the final or a third place finish is what the eight countries in Senegal would need to land in Rio.

Sanusi told Goal.com yesterday that the Dream Team is ready and in good spirit for the task ahead, even as he commended Siasia for not allowing his travails back home, with the kid­nap of his mother to distract him.

His words: “The team is very ready for the task ahead and in good spirit. I can confidently tell you that they will

by the grace of God do Nigeria proud and we will qualify for next year’s Olympics. We have players that have the skills, abilities and everything. We equally have in Siasia, a coach who is really a man. He (Siasia) in spite of the kidnap of his mother has made it clear that nothing will distract him from the task of doing well in Senegal.”

Samson Siasia’s men are zoned in Group B and would play their opening game on Sunday against Mali before facing Egypt and Algeria.

It is recalled that Nigeria did not qualify for the soccer event of the last Olympic games, London 2012, where the country also failed to win a medal.