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| Head Football Administration in Nigeria,Pinnick. |
Pinnick is excited that Memories of the misunderstanding that reared its head on Tuesday night seem to have disappeared.
“I’m
happy there is absolute peace in the camp and the players and coaches are
thinking of nothing other than the two matches against DR Congo and Cameroon".
“Whatever
misunderstanding that happened on Tuesday night has been peacefully resolved
and everyone’s forgotten about it. Anywhere you have a group of people there is a
propensity for misunderstanding now and again. The key thing is the immediacy
of resolution and the maturity to forgive and forget.”
Head
Coach Sunday Oliseh assured there were no longer issues and that the three
–time African champions were focused on Thursday’s high –profile friendly
against the Leopards of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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| Oliseh and Enyaem |
Thursday’s
clash of the Eagles and Leopards will start at 7pm at the VISE Stadium, and
will be the first between both countries’ senior teams in five-and-half-years.
In Belgium there
are three –time FIFA World Cup star Vincent Enyeama, defenders Efe Ambrose and
Elderson Echiejile, midfielders John Mikel Obi and Ogenyi Onazi as well as
forwards Ahmed Musa and Emmanuel Emenike (who have all played at the FIFA World
Cup), and relatively new faces Carl Ikeme, Dele Alampasu, Leon Balogun,
Abdullahi Shehu, Kingsley Madu, Wilfred Ndidi, William Troost Ekong, Obiora
Nwankwo, Rabiu Ibrahim, Sylvester Igbonu, Moses Simon, Odion Ighalo and Alex
Iwobi.
After
a meeting on Tuesday that involved officials of the Union Royale Belge des
Societes de Football Association (Belgian FA), a decision was taken to stage
the Super Eagles’ clash with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon on Sunday at the
Edmond Machtens Stadium in Brussels, with the match now to start at 8pm local
time.
A
largely home –based Nigeria squad walloped the Leopards 5-2 in a friendly in
Abuja in March 2010. Two goals by Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) accounted
for the Leopards in a quarter -final match of the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in
Tunisia, just as Yekini had scored the only goal of another quarter -final tie
between the two teams in Senegal two years earlier.
Yet,
the most memorable clash between both nations was far back in March 1976, when
a young Green Eagles’ squad stunned the reigning African champions 4-2 in a Cup
of Nations group phase match in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.
PLAYERS IN BELGIUM: Vincent Enyeama, Carl Ikeme, Leon
Balogun, Abdullahi Shehu, Elderson Echiejile, William Troost Ekong, Efe
Ambrose, Ogenyi Onazi, Obiora Nwankwo, John Mikel Obi, Rabiu Ibrahim, Ahmed
Musa, Emmanuel Emenike, Sylvester Igbonu, Moses Simon, Odion Ighalo, Alex
Iwobi. NEW INVITEES: Kingsley Madu,
Wilfred Ndidi, Dele Alampasu
PLAYERS IN PORT HARCOURT: David Obiazor, Okemute Odah,
Solomon Kwambe, Kalu Orji, Osas Okoro, Idris Aloma, Ezekiel Bassey, Samson
Gbadebo, Jamiu Alimi, Abdulrazaq Aliyu, Stephen Eze, Bright Onyedikachi, Bature
Yaro, Ifeanyi Mathew, Usman Mohammed, Chisom Chikatara, Tunde Adeniji, Dayo
Ojo, Gbolahan Salami. EXPECTED: Femi
Thomas, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Chima Akas, Austin Oboroakpo, Paul Onobi, Prince
Aggrey
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