West says Elephants will fall
by Sammy Wejinya 02 February 2013, 06:20
Former Nigerian international, Taribo West believes the Super Eagles will stun pre-tournament favourites, the Ivory Coast when the two nations clash in Sunday’s quarterfinals at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.
The Super Eagles finished as runners-up of Group C and their reward is a feisty last eight fixture against the star-studded Elephants in Rustenburg but Taribo has moved to allay fears of many Nigerians who feel their side will come up short against their West African neighbours.
“I am sure Nigeria will beat the Ivorians. The team has made great progress during the competition and I am very sure they will surmount this hurdle and qualify for the semifinals,” Taribo told supersport.com.
The 38-year-old, who made 41 appearances for the Super Eagles between 1994 and 2002, then went on to appeal to Nigerians to be patient with Stephen Keshi as he continues his "rebuilding process" with the national team.
“This is a young team and Nigerians must be patient to see it grow. The talk of disbanding this team if we don’t win the Nations Cup should not arise at all.
“The great teams in the world today were not built in a few months. Keshi must be allowed to continue with his good work after this tournament,” he stated.
Taribo played professionally in France, England, Germany, Serbia and Italy with AC Milan and Internazionale.
