Sports
2014 W/Cup: Senegal Yet To Decide Play Off Venue
Senegal are still to decide
where to play their World Cup play-off second leg against Ivory Coast, failing to meet Fifa’s 20th September deadline.
The match cannot take place in Senegal’s national stadium as they are banned from playing there after riots when the sides met in October 2012.
Senegal Football Association president Augustin Senghor told Tidesports source: “We will play in Morocco or Guinea.
“We have meetings today and tomorrow and then we will decide.”
Africa’s final round of qualification for next year’s tournament in Brazil sees 10 teams involved in five two-legged ties to be played in October and November.
And football’s world governing body Fifa had requested for the African associations involved to submit by Friday the details of dates, venues and kick-off times for the games.
Senegal were banned from playing at Leopold Sedar Senghor stadium for one year after their fans rioted during the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ivory Coast in Dakar, forcing the match to be abandoned with about 15 minutes to play.
Ivory Coast were 2-0 up at the time and the result eventually stood with the Elephants claiming a 6-2 aggregate victory.
Senghor believes “Fifa will understand that we need more time compared to the other associations to decide because of our stadium suspension”.
He added: “We do not have a stadium in Senegal with the facilities and capacity to play the qualifier against Ivory Coast.
“So it is sure we will play this match outside of Senegal.
“We played our last ‘home’ matches in Morocco and Guinea and it is important for us to play our final qualification match in an environment we know very well.
“We have time enough to decide – it is just for the second leg in November. We will take our time to make a good decision.”
Meanwhile, Senghor gave his backing to coach Alain Giresse over the Frenchman’s policy to select only players who are playing regular first-team football – a decision which has led to the omission of Chelsea striker Demba Ba.
“The selection of players is the domain of the coach and in our way of working we let him have the responsibility for his choices,” Senghor said.
“We have players who are more motivated and every player that wants to be selected knows that they have to work hard for their club in order to come back.
“It is up to every player to battle for his place in the national team.”
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.
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