Nigeria will host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match
between the reigning African champions, Cote d’Ivoire, and the Leone
Stars of Sierra Leone, the NFF announced on Wednesday.
The game, a Match Day 2 clash in Group I of the Africa Cup of
Nations qualification series, will be held at either the Teslim Balogun
Stadium in Lagos, or the Adokiye Amiesiamaka Stadium in Port Harcourt
on Sunday, September 6.
NFF President Amaju Pinnick said on Wednesday that on receiving
the request from the Sierra Leone Football Association, which is the
host association for the match, the NFF approached the Federal Ministry
of Health for a go-ahead.
“We are delighted to announce that we have received the go-ahead from
the Federal Ministry of Health to host the match. The Sierra Leoneans
will come with a delegation of 32, made up of mostly overseas –based
professionals, technical crew, and officials of the SLFA to be led by
its president, Isha Johansen.
“We are happy about the go-ahead because, once more, our country has
an opportunity to underscore its leadership role on the African
continent, nay global sphere. The NFF has initiated discussions with the
Lagos State Government and Rivers State Government on preventive
measures, such as keeping Sierra Leone’s small delegation in a special
hotel where they can be monitored at all times.”
Stressing that the hosting of the match is without any
financial commitment to Nigeria, Pinnick stated that Nigeria has
everything to gain and nothing to lose by hosting the match, recalling
that recently, the U-20 Women National Team played a 2016 World Cup
qualifier in Liberia and the Liberian team also came to Nigeria for the
return leg, without any health issues.
It will be recalled that since the Ebola virus pandemic that ravaged
some West African countries last year, the Confederation of African
Football had compelled Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone to find
alternative venues for home matches. These countries have played their
‘home’ matches in countries like Ghana, Morocco, Cameroon, Cote
d’Ivoire, and Mali without any health issues.
“We are talking of hosting the African champion team, with the likes
of African Player of the Year, Yaya Toure and others, and this will
certainly earn us commendation from CAF and FIFA.”
(SaharaReporters)
No comments:
Post a Comment