Following the failure of the Italian national team to qualify for the 2018 FIFA Word Cup, Serie A giants, AS Roma have chosen the Super Eagles of Nigeria as the national team they will be rooting for in Russia.

The Super Eagles, after failing to qualify for the last two African Cup of Nations, played themselves back into prominence when they became the first African team to secure a berth to the global showpiece in Russia. However, it was the famous 4-2 victory against Argentina in an international friendly match played in November 2017 that led football fans globally to suggest that Nigeria have what it takes to ruffle feathers at this year’s World Cup.



Roma recognised the potential this Nigerian team carries, and they are looking to explore it as a tool to achieving one of the club’s core objectives which is to “increase awareness of the club’s brand.” Roma President, James Pallota has expressed his desire to make his team the second-favourite of broader network of football fans and social media will play an important role in that. “Social media is opening up international communication strands that did not exist before,” declares Shergul Arshad, digital business director at the club.


How does the Super Eagles come in?

Nigeria is the most populated black country in the world with an estimated population of 180 million people. To say Nigerians are passionate about football is an understatement, in fact football is like a religion in the West African country. However, Nigerians do not only support the Super Eagles, European clubs also enjoy strong following amongst the citizenry. The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Juventus and Inter Milan are very popular in Nigeria.



The Super Eagles is the biggest national team brand in Africa with array of star players in their squad and they are also the youngest team in the World Cup with an average age of 25 year 337 days. Some of these players are very popular on the continent and indeed in Europe by virtue of the club sides they play for. Team captain, John Obi Mikel needs no introduction. Since breaking onto the scene in the U-20 World Cup in Holland 2005 where he finished as the second best player of the tournament to Lionel Messi, the midfielder has grown into an iconic figure in Nigeria and at Chelsea where he spent over ten years winning two Premiere League titles, three FA Cup medals and one Champions League and Europa League apiece. Mikel now ply his trade in China these days with Tiajin Teda.

Mikel Obi aside, the Super Eagles also have Alex Iwobi, the young Arsenal midfielder who, having represented England at underage levels, ignored the calls of The Three Lions to play for his country of birth. Iwobi is nephew to former Super Eagles legend, Austin Okocha, and is well admired by football fans not only because of his efforts on the field but also his social media life. Another popular figure in the Super Eagles squad is Victor Moses, the Chelsea wing-back has been very impressive for his club for the past two seasons under Antonio Conte.

Nigeria win the fashion World Cup

However, the on-field achievement is not the only factor driving the popularity of the team, the Super Eagles have dominated conversations about World Cup kits since the unveiling of their jersey in February this year. From the unveiling to the roll out, Nigeria actually caused a stir on social media and was voted the best World Cup jersey in a poll conducted by Sky Sports.



Indeed, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) claimed that the kit makers, Nike, had received 3 million pre-orders for the jersey, a claim countered by the sportswear company. But it is difficult to discredit the NFF as when the jersey was eventually rolled out, it sold out in less than one hour as fans, including non-Nigerians, queued around the Nike store building to get a purchase.



The colourful jersey also sparked the debate for fashion World Cup with football fans worldwide voting the Super Eagles as the winner. The Super Eagles have actually made a huge impact on this World Cup without even kicking a ball.

Roma riding the Super Eagles wave

Roma intends to capture the heart of Nigerians as they look to spread their popularity beyond the shores of Italy and Europe, and in Super Eagles, they found a perfect outlet. Roma President, James Pallota, explained that “there are 3 billion football fans in the world, and if I could even bring only 1 per cent to cheer for Roma as a second team, we would have 30 million fans. Going by this declaration, it is clear that Roma proclaiming support for the Super Eagles at the World Cup is a deliberate and strategic attempt to endear football loving Nigerians, and Africans by extension, to the Italian team.



With a massive population, abundance of stars, passionate football followers, and beautiful jersey, the Super Eagles are a useful asset to Roma’s foray into the African market.

However, while Roma recognised that they might not be the first choice of Nigerian football lovers, given the popularity of the aforementioned European clubs, their friendship posturing towards the Super Eagles could convince Nigerians to adopt them as the ‘second-favourite club.’



Source: http://www.clintgist.com/as-roma-using-super-eagles-to-capture-the-heart-of-africans-id8504810-html/

Cc: Lalasticlala

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