Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Amaju Pinnick, has rejected the CIES World Cup ranking released on Tuesday.

The CIES report had ranked the Super Eagles of Nigeria as the 22nd favourites from the 32 participating teams expected at this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Reacting to the ranking, Pinnick was adamant that his earlier statements that Nigeria can win the World Cup in Russia is still valid.

In his words, Pinnick, who is also a Confederation of African Football (CAF) executive committee member, said: “Again, people ask why do I say that Nigeria can win the World Cup? If you have a child, what do you wish for the child? You wish him to be the best and nothing else.

“And if you have a younger brother, what do you pray for him to achieve? To be better than you, I believe Eagles can win the World Cup in Russia.” he concluded.

The CIES Football Observatory study takes into account the number of matches and players used in the 2018 World Cup qualification stage.