PITBULL AND J LO DO OFFICIAL TRACK

FIFA has announced that a song by singers Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez will be the official anthem of World Cup 2014. The track titled “We Are One (Ole Ola)” also features Claudia Leitte. This song will be performed in the opening ceremony of the tournament on 12 June. It is expected that the track will be released in the next few months leading up to the competition itself. The 2014 FIFA World Cup album, which is set to be released in the near future, will also feature this song. Pitbull has been one of the most popular singers in recent times.

He has been able to get 11 of his songs into the top 10 tracks. His song is currently top of the 2014 charts. Pitbull said that he was extremely delighted to have been offered the opportunity by FIFA, while Jennifer Lopez says that she cannot wait to perform along with Pitbull and Claudia Leitte at São Paulo in the opening ceremony. The 2010 edition of the tournament featured the song from Shakira, which was titled as Waka Waka. It went on to become one of the most popular on video sharing site YouTube by getting more than 600 million viewers.

FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke says that music plays a major role in Brazil’s tradition and he hopes this song manages to reach expectations. “I truly believe that this great game and the power of music will help unify us, because we are best when we are one,” said Pitbull. “I grew up in a house that loved football, so I am thrilled to be performing at the World Cup Opening Ceremonies with Pitbull and Claudia Leitte. This is an amazing celebration of global unity, competition and the sport,” said Jennifer Lopez.

The first match of the tournament will see Brazil taking on Croatia.

NIGERIA QUALIFY

Nigeria recently became one of the first teams to qualify for the World Cup 2014 from Africa after managing to come through their play-offs. Currently, they are the best team in Africa right now after having won the Cup of Nations trophy only a few months ago. As a result, the strength in depth of the squad is incredibly good. Even the likes of Peter Odemwingie, a Premier league star, could miss out on the place in the squad. Odemwingie recently made the move to Cardiff city after falling out with his previous employers West Brom.

The striker has stated that he would like to be on the plane to Brazil in order to play at the World Cup 2014. Odemwingie has not been part of the national team since the arrival of Stephen Keshi as the national team manager. However, he is one of the few Nigerians to have experienced World Cup football. If he travels to Brazil, then it would be his second World Cup. Odemwingie has stated that it was a great experience to be part of the team at the 2010 World Cup and he would be delighted to experience the same.

“I was in the Nigeria squad for the last World Cup finals in South Africa and I would love the chance to go again. I believe I have a chance and when it comes I would be delighted. I haven’t been selected lately because the coach is making changes to the squad and it affected all the older players so the situation wasn’t friendly. Playing for my country in Brazil would mean so much to me. No player will be in the squad unless they do well for their various clubs,” said Odemwingie.

Odemwingie has been a regular goalscorer in the Premier league, which should be enough to convince Keshi that he deserves a place in the squad.