By Jon Essien
Former Super Eagles midfielder, Sunday Oliseh has claimed that Nigeria had the ‘ingredients’ to win the 1994 Fifa World Cup staged in the United States of America.
The Team led by Dutch tactician, Clemens Westerhof is widely considered as the greatest assemble of the senior national team, following their AFCON triumph in 1994, and how they scaled Cote d’Ivoire and Algeria hurdles to qualify for the global football showpiece for the first time ever.
And 27 years later, the former Borussia Dortmund star still think the Nigeria squad had the quality of becoming the first African side to win the World Cup.
“I still think we had the potential to win that year,” Oliseh told Fifa website.
“All the ingredients were there, but the overall circumstances weren’t in our favour.
“At any rate, it had nothing to do with our squad, which had the talent to go all the way.”
Heading to the competition as African champions, Super Eagles made an impressive debut game after defeating Bulgaria 3-0 in Dallas.
Their second match against Argentina ended in a 2-1 defeat despite taking an eighth-minute lead courtesy of Samson Siasia.
A 2-0 victory over Greece at the Foxboro Stadium ensured that they finished as Group D winners, but they had to negotiate their way past Italy to reach the last eight.
Sadly, they were knocked out 2-1 by Italy thanks, to a Roberto Baggio brace.
Oliseh – who enjoyed a successful football career, went into administration; managing Nigeria and Fortuna Sittard between 2015 – 2018.
