Maigari to host Hayatou in Cairo

Maigari to host Hayatou in Cairo

President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Aminu Maigari, will
be a special guest of CAF President, Alhaji (Dr.) Issa Hayatou in
Cairo, Egypt on Friday.

The CAF President has invited Maigari and presidents of four other
federations whose teams would be representing Africa at this summer's
World Cup finals to a special meeting in the Egyptian capital.

It is expected that the former 400m champion of Cameroon would seek to
sound out Maigari and the FA Presidents of Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana
and Cote d'Ivoire on their teams' preparations for the biggest
showpiece in football, happening in Brazil between 12th June - 13th
July. Africa's football supremo is also likely to impress it on the FA
chiefs on the need to adequately prepare their teams to make the
continent proud in South America.

No African team has made it to the semi finals of the FIFA World Cup
in the past 19 editions, with only eight countries having lifted the
trophy - Brazil, Italy, Germany, Uruguay, Argentina, England, France
and Spain.

Only Cameroon, in Italy in 1990, and Senegal, in Korea/Japan in 2002,
have flown Africa's flag into the last eight of the FIFA World Cup,
with Cameroon narrowly beaten by England in 1990 and Senegal
eliminated by Turkey in Japan 12 years later.

Nigeria, champions of Africa, play two-time winners Argentina,
Bosnia-Hercegovina and Iran in Group F, with Algeria up against
Belgium, Russia and Korea Republic in Group H and Ghana to face
Germany, Portugal and USA in Group G.

Cameroon tackle Brazil, Croatia and Mexico in Group A and Cote
d'Ivoire are up against Colombia, Greece and Japan in Group C.