Sports
Musa, Ighalo, Others Hit S’Eagles Camp
Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa, Saudi Arabia-based striker OdionIghalo and Watford trio William Troost-Ekong, OghenekaroEtebo and Emmanuel Dennis are the first players to hit the Abuja camp of the national team ahead of the crucial Qatar 2022 World Cup final qualifier against Ghana Tidesports source reports.
Our correspondent learnt that the three Watford players, along with Ighalo, flew into Abuja from Lagos Sunday night and will be in camp early on Monday (today).
Other players expected in camp later today are Cyprus-based goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, Semi Ajayi, Joe Aribo, Calvin Bassey, Leon Balogun, Abdulahi Shehu, Maduka Okoye, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon and Ola Aina.
Others are Samuel Chukwueze, Zaidu Sanusi, Ademola Lookman, Kelechi Iheanacho and Daniel Akpeyi.
Speaking with Tidesports source on arrival, Watford midfielder Etebo said, “We have a job to do and we have the quality to get past Ghana, but we have be wary of them as well.”
Meanwhile, Almeria striker Sadiq Umar has been exempted and will arrive in camp on Tuesday.
Almeria, who are fighting for promotion to the Spanish topflight, have an important clash against Tenerife today, same day the striker was expected to join up with his national teammates and the Segunda side have sought the consent of the Nigeria Football Federation to allow the player take part in the game before travelling to Nigeria.
Nigeria travel to Kumasi on Wednesday for the first leg of their mouth-watering encounter against the Black Stars on Friday, before hosting their archrivals four days later at the MoshoodAbiola National Stadium in Abuja.
Head coach Austin Eguavoen invited 32 players, which includes seven on standby, to execute the game for a place at the World Cup in Qatar.
Eguavoen, it was learnt, would reduce the squad to a 23-man list.
Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi is ruled out of the clash after copping a knee injury in the Foxes Europa League game against Rennes on Thursday.
The 25-year-old, who will be out for at least three weeks, has been replaced by Innocent Bonke.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
-
Featured4 days agoWASSCE: RSG Distributes Science Materials To Secondary Schools
-
News5 days ago
Xenophobic Attacks: Nigerian Lives More Important Than Foreign Investment – Oshiomhole
-
Rivers5 days ago
MBA Forex Trial Adjourn To June 3, Amid Bereavement … As Court Declines Cost Application
-
News5 days ago
ActionAid Demands Probe Of Govs Using Public Funds For Campaign
-
Aviation5 days ago
Passengers Stranded As Delta Airline From Atlanta Route Back Eight Hours After
-
Business5 days ago
Customs Impound N2.35bn Cocaine, 15 Trailers of Rice
-
Politics5 days ago
2027: Bayelsa Senator Gets Critical Endorsement For Second Term
-
Politics5 days agoINEC Sets Rivers South-East Senatorial By-Election For June 20