THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports that some players in the national team were down with injuries, just as the Super Eagles were held to a goalless by their Zambian counterparts yesterday in an international friendly match at the ABSA Sharks Stadium in Durban, South Africa.
The match was Nigeria’s final friendly game before the beginning of the Angola 2010 African Nations Cup in which the Super Eagles will battle with Egypt, Mozambique and Benin Republic in the group stage of the competition.
The detail of the game was not made available yesterday.
Both teams have been camping in South Africa preparatory to the three-week, 16-nation championship, which begins across Angola on Sunday.
After the game, the NFF disclosed that it had concluded arrangements for a charter flight to take the contingent from Durban tomorrow to Luanda, the capital of Angola ahead the beginning of hostilities in the Southern African country.
According to a release by the NFF, the Federation’s President, Sani Lulu Abdullahi, arrived in the Super Eagles’ final training camp in Durban yesterday morning and immediately set about giving words of encouragement to the players.
The NFF boss had travelled overnight from Lagos to Johannesburg and connected the early morning flight from Johannesburg to Durban, arriving at the Riverside Hotel and Spa just after breakfast, the NFF said.
“I am happy to be here with you. I bring words of encouragement and motivation from the Federal Government. You know how passionate our people are about the game of football; they are all expectant as we prepare to storm Angola.
“The Cup of Nations is the first of two major championships that you will be taking part in this year and Nigerians are anxious that we perform very well in Angola so that we can have great confidence going to the World Cup finals in June”, Lulu told the players as he sat down with them at the Riverside Hotel and Spa.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles Team Secretary, Enebi Achor, has refuted the alleged injury crisis in the team as reported by a section of the Nigerian press.
“There are no injuries in the camp. Please tell Nigerians not to listen to rumours and speculations of injuries and whatever is being blared by a section of the media. All the players are okay and looking forward to the Cup of Nations,” Achor said.
The match against the Chipolopolo of Zambia was Nigeria’s second game at the ABSA Sharks Stadium in Durban. The team had on Sunday defeated a South African league club, Thanda Zulu Royal, 1-0.
[ngrguardiannews]
you guys are sooo late bringing the news but anyway good job to the team!!!
Is this the same Nigerian squad which will play in the AFCON? then we are strong to withstand the Indomiatable Lions.
yah good if we can hold Nigeria to goaless then we can do better go guys go.
#2 & 3, I am sure you should know our boys very well by now. They always do the opposite of what is expected of them.
Well done Chipolopolo, lets build on this result and beat the likes of Cameroon. It can be done!
Well done guys! If you held the michel obi, Odemwingi, yakubu, yobo, and whoever was there anyway, that shakes off the shivers from your shins. Know that you can do it against cameroon. Dont let inferiority complex cripple you. Pliz you can do it…..! GO! Zambia Go!
Ah these boys need to score . if you have followed zambian soccer the past few years you’d know the problem is not withsatnding pressure but finding the back of the net
They played team B from the U 20’s
Number 8 above, we dont know your nationality and lets also not pretend we smoke ganja … Zambia played Nigeria team A at ABSA stadium in Durban, South Africa. Nigeria fielded all their Europe based stars like Odemwinji. Obafemi Martins, Nwankwo Kanu … please check the line up for yourself.
#8 shut your trap if you got nothing to say. I’m a serious fan, who takes such preparations seriously. Don’t ever give us your most ignorant rantings!!!!
i agree with #8 why do you think they didnt screen it?????
Friendlies are not big pointers…beat the Lions and then u r on track. Its a diff ball game wen there is sumtin at stake but Zambia can take the positives into the competition.
zambian national team is trash we both know that,the fear factor is too high in dem boyz.To most of them seeing the likes of samuel Eto face to face takes all the ambitions of winning the game,dem fools are terrified like little bitchies on probation.we must admit we are going no where,football is dead in zambia just like politics
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