By Mike Oboh
Nigeria’s home-based senior players have arrived in Dakar, capital of Senegal for the 2nd WAFU-FOX Cup of Nations starting in the Senegalese city of Thies on Saturday, 28th September.
A team of 21 players and six officials flew by Air Cote d’Ivoire early on Thursday morning from Abuja to Abidjan, and then connected the Senegalese capital by the same airline.
The updated fixtures show that Nigeria, silver medallists at the inaugural edition staged in Cape Coast, Ghana two years ago, will tango with the Sparrow Hawks of Togo in their first match of the competition at the Stade Lat Dior Thies on Sunday.
It is an opportunity come quickly for the Eagles to avenge their 4-1 lashing by the Hawks in a 2020 African Nations Championship qualifying match in Lome last Sunday.
Victory over the Sparrows in the first elimination round will take the Eagles to the second phase, before the semi finals and the final. The tournament ends on 13th October.
All 16 participating teams will partake in the first elimination round, with host nation Senegal up against Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso against Mauritania, Cote d’Ivoire against Cape Verde and Guinea against Benin Republic.
Sierra Leone, drafted in to replace Morocco that executed a late withdrawal, will be up against Liberia, while Mali takes on Niger Republic and Gambia will tackle Ghana.
21 EAGLES B FOR WAFU CUP
Goalkeepers: Adamu Abubakar (Wikki Tourists); Galadima Mohammed (Nasarawa United); Theophilus Afelokhai (Enyimba FC)
Defenders: Olisa Ndah (Remo Stars); Stephen Manyo (Enyimba FC); Udochukwu Anumudu (Lobi Stars); Okon Nya (Akwa United); Ebube Duru (Lobi Stars); Etboy Akpan (Akwa United); John Lazarus (Lobi Stars);
Midfielders: Sikiru Alimi (Lobi Stars); Fatai Gbadamosi (Shooting Stars); Williams Ukeme (Wikki Tourists); Ndifreke Effiong (Akwa United); Chisom Orji (Collin Edwin Academy); Olatunji Oluwadamilare (Enyimba FC); Samuel Matthias (Akwa United)
Forwards: Sunusi Ibrahim (Nasarawa United); Seth Mayi (Remo Stars); Tosin Omoyele (Plateau United); Mfon Udoh (Akwa United)
