Super Eagles Arrives For World Cup, On Time This Time
The African champion touched down for the World Cup as scheduled in
Sao Paulo on Tuesday night from its pre-tournament camp in the United
States.
A year ago, the Super Eagles arrived three days late for the
Confederations Cup in Brazil and in disarray after a player strike over
bonuses caused delays and threatened to throw the World Cup warm-up
tournament into chaos.
Late Tuesday, the Nigerians were transferring through Brazil’s huge
commercial hub to their World Cup base in the city of Campinas, around
100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Sao Paulo.
The 2013 African Cup of Nations winner will play Iran in its opening
game in Group F in Curitiba on Monday, giving it five full days to
prepare — luxurious compared to the 36 hours the team had in Brazil
before playing its first match at the Confederations Cup last year.
Stephen Keshi’s continental champions have arrived in Brazil off an
unimpressive buildup. The Nigerians drew with Scotland and Greece and
lost to the United States in warm-up games in Europe and the United
States.
Along with Iran, the Super Eagles will also play Bosnia and Argentina
in the group stage of the World Cup and are aiming to make the second
round for the first time since 1998.
Belgium also flew in to Sao Paulo on Tuesday leaving three teams
still to arrive for the World Cup: Ghana, South Korea and Cristiano
Ronaldo’s Portugal.