Sam Okpodu tips Senegal and Cameroon to excel at the Mundial in Asia
By Rasheed Adewuyi
Former Super Falcons coach Sam Okpodu has tipped the Teranga Lions of Senegal and the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to excel at the 2022 world cup in Qatar next month.
Okpodu, in an interview with Sports Joust, explained that out of the five teams representing Africa in Qatar, Cameroon and Senegal have what it takes to qualify from their groups, adding that both countries have demonstrated very high pedigree in the past at the world level.
“Senegal preparations for the Mundial are of the highest quality. I think the Teranga Lions will represent Africa well with cohesion and understanding. With Samuel Etoo’s involvement, I also believe that Cameroon will represent the continent very well,” he said.
On the timing of this year’s world cup, the former Bendel Insurance FC of Benin attacker said FIFA moved the competition from summer to winter for financial reasons.
“I don’t think the weather and injuries sustained by big players will take away the glamor from this edition because most countries have enough players to replace the injured ones and must have been working towards getting used to similar weather conditions in Qatar,” Okpodu added.
Ngolo Kante (France), Reece James (England), Diego Jota (Portugal), Alexander Isak(Sweden), Pedro Neto (Portugal), Paulo Dybala (Argentina), Kyle Walker (England) and Raphael Verane (France) are some of the stars that will not participate in Qatar because of injuries sustained while playing for their various clubs this season.
Cameroon, Tunisia, Ghana, Senegal, and Morocco will represent Africa at the world cup, which kicks off from November 21 to December 18.
Thirty-two nations will participate in this year’s competition and will increase to 48 teams in 2026.
