Former Super Eagles
defender Taribo West has ruled the team out of the list of title
contenders when the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in South Africa next
year.
The former Inter Milan player had
recently tipped the Eagles to make a surprise comeback in the tournament
should they get enough quality friendly matches before the Nations Cup
begins in January. His position on Sunday, however, showed he is not
giving the team any chance when they face the likes of Zambia, the
defending champions of the competition.
“I’m not expecting any miracle from the
Eagles in South Africa. They have not grown to the level that can win
the trophy,” Taribo said.
“Coach Stephen Keshi has done well in
recent time by blending the players from the domestic league with the
foreign-based players. The team is growing stronger by the day but I
think they should be given more time to get better.
“I believe they’ll go to South Africa
and perform well, but it’ll be a stepping stone for them to be a major
force in the next two or three years. As for South Africa 2013, I’m not
expecting much from them.
“If, however, they turn out to surprise
everyone by winning the trophy, like Zambia did earlier in the year,
they it’d be a plus for us.”
Taribo had recently called on the
Nigeria Football Federation to arrange quality friendly matches for the
Eagles in order to allow Keshi have the chance to select the best
players.
“I see the Eagles getting better before
the tournament if they can have quality friendly matches in their
preparation. By then, we shouldn’t be afraid of other big teams like
Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana,” he had said.
“I just hope the technical committee of
the NFF will be able to arrange the necessary friendly games for them at
the right time.”
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