Former Nigeria coach urges early preparations for World Cup

Former Nigeria coach Christian Chukwu had urged for an early warm-up for the Angola 2010 Nations Cup and South Africa World Cup, local media reported Thursday.

The Super Eagles on Saturday qualified for both tournaments after beating Kenya 3-2 in Nairobi, and Chukwu, who was Nigeria's coach to the 2004 African Cup of Nations in Tunisia, hailed the achievement.

"This is a great moment because we have finally made it to the World Cup against all odds but the real work has just begun as we have to start planning for good results in both competitions," the former Green Eagles captain told reporters.

"The players, coaches and the Nigerian Football Federation must be commended for giving us the ticket because failure to qualify would have been bad for football development in Nigeria," he added.

"We have enough time between now and February when the Nations Cup starts, to access the team," the former Eyimba FC coach said.

According to him, the officials must ensure that the Eagles play first-class international friendly matches to put the players in top shape for the tournaments.

Chukwu, a former coach of the Harambee Stars of Kenya praised the Kenyans for giving the Nigerians a tough fight in the encounter but expressed delight that the Eagles came from a goal down to win the match.

Source: Xinhua