NFA sets 2014 World Cup semis target for Siasia

Nigeria Football Association (NFA) has set a 2014 World Cup semi-final target for Super Eagles coach, Samson Siasia.

Eagles reached the second round qualification in 1994 and 1998, crashing out at the group stage in the 2002 and 2010 editions. Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2006 edition in Germany.

No African team has reached the last four of the World Cup with Ghana's Black Stars coming within a whisker of this milestone at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Cameroon reached the quarter-final in 1990 while Senegal repeated same feat at the 2002 World Cup

But the NFA has asked Siasia to ensure that the team reaches the semi-final of the 2014 edition in Brazil.

MTNFootball.com has scooped that the four-year contract, which Siasia will sign on his formal presentation at the end of November, set out this target for the coach.

Interestingly, Siasia's Dutch assistant, Simon Kalika, has also disclosed their target is to reach the semi-finals of the next World Cup.

"What Samson has in his mind is that the Eagles must surpass what they have achieved so far. For him, Nigeria must play in the final of the 2012 Africa Nations Cup and must also play in the semi-final of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil," Kalika told MTNFootball.com.

"This may look like a tall order but it is achievable. Everything is a matter of good and long-term planning."

Siasia's contract also spells out semi-final targets at the 2012 and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations for the new coach.

The renewal of Siasia's for another two years is dependant on he reaching the semi-finals at the tournament to be staged in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in 2012.

Nigeria is three points behind Guinea in the qualifying campaign for the competition after two rounds of matches with only the group winners guaranteed automatic ticket to the finals.

The Super Eagles has won the biennial championship twice, in 1980 on home soil and in 1994 in Tunisia. Nigeria have at least reached the semi-finals of the tournament 13 times.

Daily Independent

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