AMODU VOWS TO RESIGN IF-

AmoduEMBATTLED head coach of the Super Eagles, Shuaibu Amodu, has said, he would be a monumental failure if he cannot lead the team to the first World Cup on African soil, South Africa 2010, next year.

The odds are already against the former BCC Lions of Gboko continental title- winning coach, after Group B leader of the African qualifiers for 2010 World Cup, Tunisia, escaped with a 2-2 draw in Abuja last September 6.

However, Amodu told SuperSports that he returned to the national team just for the lure of taking Nigeria to the historic World Cup.

‘’I would never have come back to the national team if I do not believe we can win the ticket,’’ Amodu said in spite of his wards’ poor outing last forthnight.

‘’If we can’t make it to South Africa, then I would have been a monumental failure,’’ he added.

Saturday Tribunesports recalls that Amodu’s first appointment by Nigeria was in 1994.He led Nigeria to the maiden edition of FIFA Confederations Cup in Saudi Arabia but had his job taken over by Dutchman Bonfrere Jo who won the Afro-Asia cup at the expense of Uzbekistan in November 1995.

Jo fell out with Nigerian authorities in 1996 and Amodu came in again in 1997 for the France 98 World Cup qualifiers only to lose his job to Phillipe Troussier as the series went on.

The coach returned in 1999, this time as an assistant to Jo in the 2000 Nations Cup jointly hosted by Nigeria and Ghana.

Jo was axed in 2001 during the campaign for the 2002 World Cup and Amodu stepped in to win a Coupe de Mondial ticket for Nigeria.

On the strength of this achievement, Amodu got the mandate to lead the Eagles to the 2002 African Cup of Nations in Mali but the coach allegedly took sides with agitating players against Nigeria's sporting authorities led by the late sports minister, Ishaya Mark Aku.

On return from Mali 2002 Nations Cup, it was no surprise his bronze medal finishing was not convincing enough as Chief Adegboye Onigbinde was named Nigeria's caretaker coach to the 2002 World Cup finals in South Korea/Japan.