Peter Odemwingie, Nigeria's prolific goal getter, speaks on the 2014 Brazil World Cup and his future in the national team.

What appreciation do you make of African participation at the 2014 World Cup?

I think the African continent did put up a good show at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, even though we expected great performances from Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Ghana. That not withstanding being the first time that two African teams are qualifying in the same edition for the knock-out stage is a milestone. 

The most important thing now is to stop and look at what went wrong so that we don’t commit the same errors in 2018. The talent is there, all what we need is a very good administration and technical staff to prepare the players physical and psychologically.

Can the elimination of Nigeria be attributed to the recent match bonus wrangling, because when one looks at the match, it was within the Eagles grab?

I think we were tired after being so mobile in the first half without scoring a goal, the second segment of the game was difficult for us because the French team came up strong. Also you know most of us have been involved in various championships with our clubs, so by the time we got here, we were a bit exhausted.

We could no more give as much as we would have love to. That is just the truth about what happened, I know some people are attributing the defeat to the recent match bonus saga. It has nothing to do with our elimination. The team is young and very good, capable of winning trophies for Nigeria.

Like I said, we need good administrators and better preparations for a tournament like this. It is not at the eve of a competition of this magnitude that we start rushing up and down to bring in players in the team or technical staff.

Personally, how do you foresee your future with the Super Eagles?

I think my future with the Super Eagles is hanging in the balance. You know it is not easy to honor country and club at the same time. It demands a lot of sacrifice both physical and mental. It is something I will be discussing with my wife, kids and family members. It is not easy to be away for several months.

I have been missing them. For now I need some rest because at the age of 33, it is not easy. However, it has been one of the best Nigerian team and tournament I have ever played and participated in. The team spirit was good. I wish that it continues for the next generations to come.