London – Roy Hodgson thinks an African nation has more chance of winning next year’s World Cup than a European one.
England are preparing for their final two friendlies of a turbulent yet successful year in which they qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
A host of European sides, including England and holders Spain, will be in Brazil but Hodgson believes the South American climate will favour the Africans more than his squad.
The England manager said: “I think they may have a stronger chance than any of the European teams, to be perfectly honest, because of the climate.”
Pele once said an African nation would win the World Cup by the end of the 20th century. That did not happen, although Cameroon, Ghana and Senegal all made it to a quarter-finals.
Five African sides will be in Brazil, with Ivory Coast (17th) likely to be the highest ranked.
Hodgson, writing in the programme for the Nigeria v Italy game at his old club, Fulham, next week, said: “There are many African players out there of excellent quality.
“They play in the top European leagues and that makes the African nations very strong.
“Nigeria have traditionally been one of the strongest, with some famous names in their team. Whoever is at the game on Monday night will see two very good teams and it will be an exciting outcome. Who knows? We may even see a little pointer for how things will go in Brazil.” – Daily Mail