An Ice Sculpture celebrating Nigeria’s qualification for the World Cup and that of the remaining 31 other countries competing in the prestigious fiesta, is to be unveiled on December 29.
More than 40 ice sculptures will be erected in Moscow to celebrate countries that qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia next summer, City Hall has announced.
The sculptures will feature symbols from the participating countries, including ice replicas of their architectural gems, football stars and literary characters. They will reportedly include England’s Sherlock Holmes, Germany’s Baron Munchausen and Sweden’s Karlsson according to Moscow Times.
There are strong indications that the Nigerian Sculpture will feature Super Eagles Captain John Obi Mikel whose wife Olga incidentally is Russian
About 2,000 tons of ice from Lake Baikal and lakes near Yekaterinburg and Arkhangelsk will be used to make the World Cup statues.
The sculptures will be put up in Moscow’s Park Pobedy as part of the Ledovaya Moskva festival that takes place from Dec. 29 to Jan. 8. They will be split into eight compositions that correspond to the eight groups that will play in the first round of the international tournament.
Nigeria has been drawn against perennial group opponents Argentina, Croatia and Iceland with permutations already taking the stage over how the Gernot Rohr tutored side can emerge from the group and forge ahead. The Nigeria Football Federation is hoping that the team will go beyond the group of 16 which the highest the Nation has reached at the World Cup. The feeling in the Glass House is that a quarter or semifinal stage will be heartwarming.
The Minister of Sports Solomon Dalung only recently dispatched a request to President Muhammadu Buhari asking for N3billion to prosecute the World cup in Russia.
Interestingly FIFA has confirmed that all the 32 teams participating at the world cup will be guaranteed $9.5million each, with opportunity to earn more as they progress at the event. Teams that make it all the way will be having a Dollar rain according to FIFA’s release.
The winners will receive USD 38 million, while the runners-up will get USD 28 million and the third-place team USD 24 million,” the World soccer ruling body assured. Some analysts in the country believe the Eagles who had an impressive run in the qualifiers can earn from USD16 million and by hitting the quarters and beyond.
