Nigeria won’t miss 2019 AFCON ticket —Ezenwa

Super Eagles goalkeeper, Ikechukwu Ezenwa has said Nigeria are sure qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon. Nigeria are in group E together with South Africa, Libya and Seychelles according to the draw held on Thursday in Gabon by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

Ezenwa said with adequate preparations for the AFCON qualifying matches, the three-time African champions would clinch the Cameroon 2019 ticket.

“It’s a good pairing and a good job to be done to achieve the lofty dream of a place at the 2019 AFCON in Cameroon.

“The task demands that all hands must be on deck right from start to finish.

“It’s a sour taste the reality that we have been out of AFCON twice in a row. That’s quite damaging to our image.

“That’s why we must work very hard to ensure we qualify for the 2019 Afcon as we cannot continue to claim to be the giants of Africa but keep missing at Afcon roll-calls.

“We know the task is daunting but not insurmountable if we put adequate programmes in place right now.”

“I called the group a good one but not cheap as South Africa and Libya have proven their worth in past championships.”

“South Africa have a vibrant league and their club sides have done quite well in the continental club competitions so the side are likely to be a hard nut to crack for us.

“However, I remain positive that if we do the needful and on time, too, we will not have any difficulty securing a spot from the group,” the FC IfeanyiUbah keeper told Supersport.com.

The Eagles have failed to appear at two successive AFCON finals in 2015 and 2017 after a heart-warming victory in 2013.