Former Super Eagles defender Isaac Semitoje has charged Eric Chelle to ensure the team beat Rwanda in next month’s 2006 World Cup qualifier in Kigali Rwanda, as he also advised him to select his players on merit.
The Super Eagles lie fifth in the their group without a win from four games with three points behind group leaders Rwanda, South Africa, Benin Republic and Lesotho.
Football pundits have described this epic clash as a game that will determine whether the Eagles will go far or not.
Obviously worried by the lackluster performance of the Super Eagles,
Denmark-based Semitoje told sportsguardngr.com that the Super Eagles have got all it takes to beat Rwanda on their home ground notwithstanding their teeming supporters.
He however, warned the players against complacency, adding that any attempt to underrate their opponent in this crucial game will be regretted.
“This is a very crucial game for Nigeria, Eagles must play their hearts out to win this match. They shouldn’t make the mistake of underrating Rwanda specially when they know what is on ground. Eagles can not afford to lose this match whether they are playing away or not. In our days there was nothing like home or away. We faced each game with determination. We always had one thing at the back of our mind, we told ourselves we would rather die today than lose this game.”
“As deadly as Cameroon, Algeria, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia were those days, they were always scared of us.
Look at our group, Rwanda, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Benin Republic, why on earth should Nigeria be scared of these countries, I think the Super Eagles are the best team in that group so they should play like the best national team in Africa.”
” I want to use this opportunity to advise the new head coach of the team, Eric Chelle to select his team on merit. He should give shirts to players that are ready to deliver for him. There are a lot of Nigerian players in various clubs in Europe that are doing excellently. There are also good players in our local league who are ready to make name for themselves, such players should be given a chance.”
“One thing I know is that if we miss the 2026 Mundial, Nigerians won’t be happy with the NFF and the entire Super Eagles squad. They must fight hard to deliver World Cup ticket to us,”Semitoje warned. 
