Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr said Friday he believes his team will have the support of Russian fans, as he sought to play down fears of racism from some supporters ahead of their opening World Cup game against Croatia.

“We all are sure that there will not be any problems for the Nigerian players,” Rohr told reporters in Kaliningrad, which will host the Group D clash on Saturday evening.

“Because the atmosphere we felt already arriving in Russia was very good.”

The Russian game has been plagued by racist fans for decades, and world governing body Fifa last month fined the Russian football association 25,000 euros ($29,000) after several black players were subjected to discriminatory chants during a friendly game against France.

But Rohr said he is confident local fans will get behind his squad for a number of reasons — not least the fact that captain John Obi Mikel’s girlfriend is Russian.

“Perhaps they will have sympathy also because we have a Russian player in our team, he’s Russian and Nigerian, Brian Idowu,” Rohr said.

The defender, whose mother is Russian, currently plays for Russian Premier League side Amkar Perm.

“We have also Ahmed Musa who’s playing in (CSKA) Moscow and the captain’s family relation so perhaps we will have a little bit of sympathy from the public tomorrow,” the German coach said.

“I think there will be much more Croatian supporters than Nigerians but I think we dont have anything to lose. And the players will go out there not thinking about discrimination or any other problems.”

Rohr joked that he had answered a question from a Nigerian journalist before departing for Russia who asked if his players would be allowed to socialise at the tournament.

“The only one who can meet a Russian girl is the captain, because he’s living with her,” he said.

FIFA has instituted a three-strikes policy against any racist abuse from fans across the tournament, threatening to abandon matches if supporters ignore a stadium speaker announcement and then a pause in play.

Both Nigeria and Croatia will seek a winning start on Saturday as they bid to get out of a tough Group D featuring Iceland — who finished above Croatia in qualifying — and two-time champions Argentina.

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BIG STORY

Nike Unveils Super Eagles 2024/25 Jersey [PHOTOS]

Published

1 month ago

March 18, 2024

PorscheClassy News

The new Super Eagles jerseys for the 2024–2025 football season have been unveiled by clothing powerhouse, Nike.

Nike’s Instagram page published a post on Monday with a launch video of the new jerseys.

“The 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 𝑵𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒌𝒊𝒕𝒔 disrupt convention with bold twists on icons.

“Featuring 𝑫𝒓𝒊-𝑭𝑰𝑻 𝑨𝑫𝑽 innovation, each kit is engineered for the needs of the modern footballer, from kick-off to the final whistle,” the post read.

Green hoops at the ends of the sleeves and shorts adorn the white home jersey. In a striking combination of colours, the word “Naija” is written in green across the kit’s breast.

In a stylistic nod to Nigeria’s national colours, the away uniform is patterned in a pastel version of the same colour, dark green.

For their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, the Super Eagles are anticipated to wear the new jerseys.

The team’s third qualifying match is scheduled for June 3 at home against South Africa. Seven days later, they are scheduled to travel to Benin Republic.

Before that, the Eagles will visit Grand Stade de Marrakech in Morocco for friendly matches against Ghana and Mali on March 22 and 26, respectively.

See photos below;

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BIG STORY

Augustine Eguavoen Returns As Super Eagles Interim Coach

Published

2 months ago

March 1, 2024

PorscheClassy News

Former Super Eagles Coach and Player, Augustine Eguavoen has been appointed by the Nigeria National Team as interim coach after the departure of Portuguese Coach, Jose Pesseiro.

He will be assisted by Finidi George, who has stayed the longest with Peseiro among all indigenous coaches appointed to work with the Portuguese by the Amaju Pinnick led board for 22 months.

More to come…

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BIG STORY

BREAKING: Jose Peseiro Officially Quits As Super Eagles Manager

Published

2 months ago

March 1, 2024

PorscheClassy News

Jose Peseiro, a Portuguese manager, has announced his resignation from the Super Eagles after his contract officially ended on Thursday.

Peseiro, who led the Eagles to a second-place result at the 2023 African Cup of Nations, on Friday expressed his satisfaction in his role as coach of the West African country.

“Yesterday, we concluded our contract with the NFF. It was a pride and honor to coach the Super Eagles. It has been 22 months of immense dedication, sacrifice, emotion, and enormous enthusiasm. We feel a sense of fulfillment.

“We would like to express our gratitude to Sir Amaju Pinnick (the president who signed us), President Ibrahim Gusau, General Secretary Mohammed Sanusi, Secretary Dayo Enebi, the NFF, all the Staff, and especially all the PLAYERS, with whom leading has been a great pleasure.

“Guys, we are thankful; it has been a privilege to be part of this family. We will miss you, but we will always be there for you, no matter where you are. A big hug to all of you,” the wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter)

More to come…

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