Flip-flop Super Eagles all set to fly home

Yet Onigbinde will not be the first to suggest that Nigeria and their god-given talents, personified in the form of exciting 20-year-old striker Julius Aghahowa, deserved better. “If I can be passionate, I think the tournament will be a poorer place without us,” the coach said after his team’s fate was sealed by a 2-1 defeat to group F rivals Sweden on Friday.

“I thought we were unlucky, and these results are hard to take.” Onigbinde, who must motivate his players for their last group game against England on June 12, may come in for some criticism after his seemingly slapdash build-up to the finals.

Appointed after Nigeria failed to reach the African Nations Cup final in February, he proceeded to watch a whole host of players in a short space of time — before controversially deciding on youth at the expense of proven stalwarts such as Finidi George and Sunday Oliseh.

But the ability to be found merely in Nwankwo Kanu’s size 14 boots would surely have been enough to see them prosper in the other seven groups at the tournament.

Alas for Nigeria, they faced and succumbed by a single Gabriel Batistuta goal to Cup favourites Argentina in their opener on Sunday, before Sweden came away with a fortunate win. (Reuters)