The technical committee of the Nigeria Football Federation will today meet with Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi over the provisional list of the Nigerian squad for the Brazil 2014 World Cup.

The much anticipated meeting will see Keshi defending his list of invited players for the Super Eagles pre-World Cup camp. The technical committee members are also to assure the coach on their support for the World Cup campaign.

From Left: National Team Goalkeeper Trainer, Ike Shorunmu; Assistant Coach, Daniel Amokachi, and Super Eagles Chief Coach, Stephen Keshi during a media parley in Abuja

Keshi’s list has been shrouded in controversy over his non-inclusion of Villarreal of Spain striker Ikechukwu Uche but has the likes of Stoke City’s Osaze Odemwingie and Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi of Shalke O4 who has just started playing after a long injury lay-off.

The meeting today, Sports Vanguard gathered, will not be the last before the team leaves for England to meet Scotland in another pre-World Cup friendly.

NFF first Vice-President, Chief Mike Umeh said the Executive Board will still meet to ratify whatever decisions reached at the meeting between the technical committee and the chief coach, Keshi.

Umeh said, “the board will meet with the technical committee and the coach to harmonise whatever decisions reached at Tuesday’s meeting.”

He disclosed that the board’s duty is to see how to enhance the team’s performance at the World Cup.

Umeh said the board meeting will come up soon. “We have no time to waste. In fact, I am leaving for Abuja tomorrow(today) as we are expected to meet after the technical committee meeting,” Umeh said.

The NFF Vice President said Nigeria would perform well, despite the statement by coach of Group F opponent, Bosnia Herzegovina that Nigeria and Iran will not qualify for the second round of the World Cup.

“That is his wish. You can’t stop people from saying whatever they want to say. We are not worried about the statements or boasting remarks of opponents but working hard to ensure the team does well.”

On what the NFF is doing to ensure the team prepares well for the Mundial, Umeh said, “since we qualified for the tournament, we have not stopped preparing. Remember we had a match recently with Mexico. We are continuing preparations with another match against Scotland soon. We are ready.”

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