Nigeria target Guinea, Sudan friendly
Eagles star Ahmed Musa will not be available for next month's friendly
FIFA scuttle AFCON build-up
Nigeria are in
talks with Guinea, Sudan and DR Congo for a friendly but they would not call
the top stars due to a change in FIFA calendar.
The Super Eagles build-up for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Liberia in September suffered a major setback after MTNFootball.com revealed that FIFA have moved the window for international friendlies from August to September.
This then means that the team would have to make do with players from only the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) for any international warm-up game they will play next month prior to the trip to Monrovia on September 8.
NFF technical sub-committee chairman Chris Green informed MTNFootball.com that talks have therefore been opened with Guinea, Sudan, Gabon and DR Congo for a possible friendly on August 15.
"We have approached several countries including Guinea, DR Congo and Sudan for a possible friendly next month," Green said.
The Rivers State Football Association chairman, who accompanied coach Stephen Keshi to South Africa for the AFCON draw last week, added, "Even though there would no longer be a FIFA free window next month, we want to ensure that the Eagles are fully prepared for the last hurdle to qualify for the Nations Cup.
“But please note that talks have just begun and we are waiting on these countries for a positive response."
Despite the shift in the next FIFA free window from August to September, the NFF have insisted on a friendly for the Eagles.
Emmanuel Ikpeme, NFF director of technical, also told MTNFootball.com the friendly will be played.
"We have several offers but I cannot give you any concrete confirmation on who the Eagles would play next month but certainly the Eagles will be engaged," he said
On the shift of the transfer window by FIFA, he said, "That should not affect anything. The worst case scenario is that coach (Stephen) Keshi would not have access to his foreign-based players.
The Super Eagles build-up for an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Liberia in September suffered a major setback after MTNFootball.com revealed that FIFA have moved the window for international friendlies from August to September.
This then means that the team would have to make do with players from only the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) for any international warm-up game they will play next month prior to the trip to Monrovia on September 8.
NFF technical sub-committee chairman Chris Green informed MTNFootball.com that talks have therefore been opened with Guinea, Sudan, Gabon and DR Congo for a possible friendly on August 15.
"We have approached several countries including Guinea, DR Congo and Sudan for a possible friendly next month," Green said.
The Rivers State Football Association chairman, who accompanied coach Stephen Keshi to South Africa for the AFCON draw last week, added, "Even though there would no longer be a FIFA free window next month, we want to ensure that the Eagles are fully prepared for the last hurdle to qualify for the Nations Cup.
“But please note that talks have just begun and we are waiting on these countries for a positive response."
Despite the shift in the next FIFA free window from August to September, the NFF have insisted on a friendly for the Eagles.
Emmanuel Ikpeme, NFF director of technical, also told MTNFootball.com the friendly will be played.
"We have several offers but I cannot give you any concrete confirmation on who the Eagles would play next month but certainly the Eagles will be engaged," he said
On the shift of the transfer window by FIFA, he said, "That should not affect anything. The worst case scenario is that coach (Stephen) Keshi would not have access to his foreign-based players.
"But in any case the home boys are the
foundation of the team as we have seen in his re-building process. So, the
change should not affect anything. We will ensure the Eagles are engaged."
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