Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi has shown delight in Super Eagles big leap in the new FIFA World Ranking.
The Nigerian National team moved from the 42nd position to 28th position in the new FIFA Men’s World Ranking released on Thursday after an impressive performance at the just concluded African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire where the team came second, clinching the silver medal.
Sanusi who was speaking, during a live interview session on Television Continental (TVC) Sports Desk, noted that the Super Eagles improvement can be attributed to the huge sacrifice and plans made by the Football Federation and the massive supports received by Presidency and Nigerians as a whole.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank all Nigerians, the President and the Sports Minister, without them, we wont have been able to achieve all we did at the African Cup Of Nations, “
” We went to Cote’voire not to just attend the Nations Cup, but to make all Nigerians proud and am happy we got to the final, only to narrowly lose to the host.
“The players were made to believe they could win the AFCON again after 11 years. We started sensitizing the public through the ‘Lets Do It Again” campaign and these got alot of Nigerians believing we could win this year’s AFCON, including the players.
“I saw a committed team, hardworking team , one that is not divided in any way. All hands were on deck to ensure the team did well in Cote d’Ivoire and you can see some of the results with the new FIFA World Ranking released on Thursday.
“For the first time in many years, we didn’t witness any bonus row from the team, kudos must be given to the Presidency for the financial, moral support given to the team, before and after the AFCON. ” He concluded.
The new position on the global list is the Super Eagles highest since May 2013. The new ranking by the World Football Governing body also showed that the Super Eagles have moved from sixth position to third in Africa.
