Super Eagles of Nigeria will arrive in Brazil
on June 11, a day before the start of the World Cup in Sao Paulo. Their
date of arrival will also leave them a five-day grace before they test
the water against Iran in their first match in Curitiba.
A sniff into the national team's World Cup plan came last night courtesy of the General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Musa Amadu, six months before the start of the world's biggest football event.
The Eagles will have their headquarters in Brazil in the gateway city of Sao Paulo Guarulhos. They will pitch their nest in Hotel Vitoria, Campinas from where they will shuttle across the South American country for all their matches.
Amadu similarly gave May 28 as the date when the training camp for all invited players will open. The team is expected to train in Mexico which is strategic given its proximity to the United States in addition to boasting of the same weather as Sao Paulo where Nigeria will be based.
Though a friendly match is in the pipeline on March 5 which is a FIFA international window, Amadu said the federation was also working behind the scene to ensure that the Eagles play between two and four warm-up matches before the World Cup.
The matches will enable Coach Stephen Keshi to assess new players, see his most likely players and select the 23 players that will constitute the World Cup squad.
Amadu assured that the Nigerian federation will do its best to ensure that the Super Eagles are well prepared for the World Cup in response to the expectation of a football crazy public.
The Eagles have not met Iran since Nigeria defeated the Middle East nation 1-0 courtesy of a goal by Ahmed 'Yaro Yaro' Garba, during the Carlsberg Cup in Hong Kong in January 1998.
Amadu said Nigerian officials already have idea of the Iranians and will do a technical analysis of their style of play.
"The key factor to success is preparation as name does not count at this stage. The most important thing is to identify your opponent and make technical analysis and preparation. We have a good idea of who the Iranians are and will prepare for them", he said.
Nigeria's other group fixtures will be against Bosnia in Cuiaba and Argentina in Porto Alegre. The matches will be played on June 21and June 26 respectively.
A sniff into the national team's World Cup plan came last night courtesy of the General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Musa Amadu, six months before the start of the world's biggest football event.
The Eagles will have their headquarters in Brazil in the gateway city of Sao Paulo Guarulhos. They will pitch their nest in Hotel Vitoria, Campinas from where they will shuttle across the South American country for all their matches.
Amadu similarly gave May 28 as the date when the training camp for all invited players will open. The team is expected to train in Mexico which is strategic given its proximity to the United States in addition to boasting of the same weather as Sao Paulo where Nigeria will be based.
Though a friendly match is in the pipeline on March 5 which is a FIFA international window, Amadu said the federation was also working behind the scene to ensure that the Eagles play between two and four warm-up matches before the World Cup.
The matches will enable Coach Stephen Keshi to assess new players, see his most likely players and select the 23 players that will constitute the World Cup squad.
Amadu assured that the Nigerian federation will do its best to ensure that the Super Eagles are well prepared for the World Cup in response to the expectation of a football crazy public.
The Eagles have not met Iran since Nigeria defeated the Middle East nation 1-0 courtesy of a goal by Ahmed 'Yaro Yaro' Garba, during the Carlsberg Cup in Hong Kong in January 1998.
Amadu said Nigerian officials already have idea of the Iranians and will do a technical analysis of their style of play.
"The key factor to success is preparation as name does not count at this stage. The most important thing is to identify your opponent and make technical analysis and preparation. We have a good idea of who the Iranians are and will prepare for them", he said.
Nigeria's other group fixtures will be against Bosnia in Cuiaba and Argentina in Porto Alegre. The matches will be played on June 21and June 26 respectively.
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