World Cup
It’s 28 years since Super Eagles’ worst competitive defeat
BY KUNLE SOLAJA
Denmark face Germany on Saturday hoping to recreate their famous victory at the Euro 92 when they secured their first title, although they were the underdogs.
This day 28 June, a day before their Round of 16 Euro 2024 clash with Germany also brings the memory of their famous Round of 16 win over Nigeria at the France ‘98 World Cup.
Their 4-1 defeat of the Super Eagles remains the biggest defeat that the Nigerians have gotten in a competitive duel in nearly 30 years.
It was an unexpected result considering that the Super Eagles contributed to the elimination of one of the tournaments favourites, Spain.
A goal down under two minutes and two down under 12 minutes presented a huge mountain for the Super Eagles to climb.
What a twist of an event most had thought the Nigerian team would be the dominant side.
The world was awaiting a match-up of Nigeria and Brazil in the quarter-finals.
It was to rekindle the memorable encounter of both countries’ Olympic teams two years earlier when Nigeria famously defeated Brazil 4-3 in a golden goal decider at the semi-finals.
A rematch at the quarter finals of France ’98 would have brought up a novel match-up of reigning Olympic gold medallists and reigning World Cup holders. It turned out a mere dream.
Nigeria’s manager, Bora Milutinović fielded a starting line-up with seven midfielders and no attacker.
Could that had been a new tactical formation in football in a knockout game Nigeria had to score and win? Call it the 3-7-0. Call it overconfidence.
Even Nigeria’s manager was reportedly half-kiddingly remarked before the match: “We’ve got a very important match coming up in Nantes” – a reference to a possible quarter-final meeting with Brazil.
Member of the team, Mutiu Adepoju told Sports Village Square that poor tactical approach cost Nigeria the match. “The game was taken as a routine one and hence, no special preparation for it.
“The coaches did not even border to get insight into the Denmark team”, said Adepoju who was called ‘Headmaster’ for his heading skill. It was with an header that he scored Nigeria’s first goal that put scores at 1-1 in a 3-2 defeat of Spain in the opening match.
He dismissed a well publicised claim by teammate, Taribo West that the players had busy nights with women prior to the match.
He however admitted that there was discontentment in camp and that the coaching crew lost control of the team.
It came light that the players did not sleep all night as the now very familiar agitations for enhanced match bonuses came up.
As published in the on-line version of Al-Jazeera in 2014, Sunday Oliseh was quoted as saying: “We wasted too much energy on the eve of our game haggling over bonus, something like that should not be the focus at a big tournament like the World Cup. “We lost that game off the pitch and not on the pitch.”
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Monday that it has not received any official communication from the Iran Football Federation indicating that Iran intends to withdraw from the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Iran have already secured qualification for the expanded 48-team tournament, scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. The team is currently scheduled to play two group-stage matches in Los Angeles and another in Seattle.
Speculation about Iran’s participation intensified after the country’s sports minister reportedly suggested it would be impossible for the national team to attend the tournament following recent U.S. airstrikes carried out alongside Israel against Tehran. The strikes were said to have killed the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, escalating tensions in the region.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump said last week that Iran would be welcome to compete at the World Cup, but expressed concerns about the safety of the team if it participated.
Responding to the situation, AFC General Secretary Windsor John said the continental body had not received any formal withdrawal notice from Iran’s football authorities.
“It’s a very emotional moment. Everybody’s saying a lot of things,” John told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
“At the end of the day, it’s the federation that should decide if they’re playing, and as of today, the federation has told us that they are going to the World Cup.
“They are our members, and we want them to play. They qualified, and we hope they will resolve whatever issues they have and be able to participate.”
An official withdrawal by Iran from football’s global showpiece would be unprecedented in the modern era and would force FIFA to determine a replacement team for the tournament urgently.
The 2026 World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19.
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Egypt will play Saudi Arabia in a friendly in Jeddah on March 27 after both sides shifted their international‑window training camps from Qatar due to travel disruptions caused by the conflict in the Middle East, the federations said on Sunday.
Qatar had planned to stage a wider football festival this month that would have included the ‘Finalissima’ between Spain and Argentina. Still, the event was scrapped after UEFA cancelled the match due to regional instability.
The Saudi federation said their squad would now train in Jeddah and Serbia and play an additional friendly away to Serbia in Belgrade on March 31 as part of preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Egypt said the Jeddah match was arranged to ensure strong preparation for the finals in North America later this year, thanking Qatar for its initial efforts to host the festival.
Egypt will play in Group G in the June-July tournament alongside Belgium, Iran and New Zealand. At the same time, Saudi Arabia are drawn in Group H with Spain, Uruguay and Cape Verde.
-Reuters
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World Cup
Mexico City’s Zocalo breaks Guinness World Record for largest soccer class ahead of World Cup
Thousands of Mexicans packed the heart of their capital on Sunday to kick, pass, and celebrate their way into the record books, turning one of the world’s most iconic public squares into the largest football class ever recorded.
Mexico City’s Zocalo — a vast stone plaza that has witnessed revolutions, earthquakes and papal visits — hosted 9,500 people for a roughly 40-minute mass training session that shattered the previous Guinness World Record, set in Seattle with 1,038 participants.
“We registered 9,500 people today, so I have the fortune of telling you that as of now, you are ‘officially amazing’, congratulations,” Guinness World Records judge Alfredo Arista said at the end of the class.
“Today we broke this great Guinness World Record, more than 9,000 people gathered and showed that we are capable of achieving the extraordinary and the impossible,” said Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada after receiving the award.
“With this record, the city sends a message to the world: ‘Sport, soccer, is the universal language, a language of peace that needs no translation.’ Congratulations Mexico City, today we kick off the World Cup,” she added.
The event forms part of a broader campaign dubbed the “Social World Cup”.
In the crowd were families in green, white and red jerseys, children clutching black and golden footballs, elderly neighbours stretching alongside professional coaches as instructors led drills under a clear morning sky, with the sound of cathedral bells in the background.
Among those present on the stage were members of the Mexico women’s team that won the 1971 Women’s World Cup, an unofficial tournament held in Mexico City that drew some of the largest crowds in the history of the women’s game, as well as former male players like goalkeeper Oscar “El Conejo” Perez.
A RECORD WITH A SHADOW
However, the celebration had undertones of national tension.
“I’m excited about the World Cup, but there are a lot of political issues in the country right now,” participant Paulina Rosas told Reuters, reflecting the concerns of many Mexicans amid recent cartel violence.
Last month, the Mexican army killed Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, also known as ‘El Mencho ‘, the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). This triggered reprisals across multiple states, bringing Guadalajara — one of the three Mexican cities hosting the World Cup — to a near standstill.
For weeks, there has been uncertainty, with President Claudia Sheinbaum even reinforcing that there will be security guarantees.
Despite this, people are still hopeful about Mexico’s third time hosting the World Cup. Co-hosted with the United States and Canada, the tournament will begin with an opening match at the Estadio Azteca on June 11.
“If we maintain this spirit, I’m sure we’ll enjoy it,” Rosas added.
That spirit was evident outside the main square, where the festive atmosphere continued. People played “cascarita”, an informal form of football around the perimeter, while many were dancing to the rhythms of a “batucada” percussion band.
“The class was pretty simple, and a lot of people here don’t even know how to play football, but that wasn’t the point, it’s about the people, the community,” said 67-year-old Pedro Garcia.
For many of those standing shoulder-to-shoulder in Zocalo on Sunday morning, it felt like a warm-up for what is to come in June.
-Reuters
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Asian Football Confederation Says Iran Has Not Notified It of Any World Cup Withdrawal
Egypt, Saudi move camps from Qatar and set March 27 friendly in Jeddah
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