Preparations for Nigeria’s Sand Eagles crucial CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie against Ghana have moved up a gear, with all 20 invited Sand Eagles players now in camp in Kaduna. The team has been training for the past week at the Murtala Muhammed Square Sports Complex, where they have been undergoing intensive tactical and technical sessions under the supervision of Coach Christopher Kadiri.
Head Coach Abdullahi Isa is currently with the U17 Boys National Team, the Golden Eaglets, as they prepare for the WAFU-B U17 Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, next month. The Sand Eagles will welcome Ghana’s Black Sharks to Kaduna for the first leg on Saturday, 10 October, with the return fixture scheduled for Accra one week later, on Saturday, 17 October.
Nigeria returned to the international beach soccer scene two years ago after a prolonged absence but narrowly missed out on qualification for the CAF Beach Soccer AFCON finals hosted by Seychelles. With a place at this year’s finals at stake, the winner of the two-legged encounter between Nigeria and Ghana will qualify for the tournament scheduled to hold in Senegal from 7 to 15 October.
In a further boost to their preparations, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has opened discussions with the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football over the possibility of arranging two friendly matches between the Sand Eagles and the Senegalese national team. The proposed friendlies are expected to give the Nigerian side additional match exposure and provide an opportunity to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the decisive qualifying showdown with the Black Sharks.
Goalkeepers: Godwin Tale (Kada BSC); Nuhu Noma Aiki (Kebbi BSC); Olalekan Oladipo (Kada BSC) Defenders: Victor Tale (Kada BSC); Taiwo Adams (Kebbi BSC); Emmanuel Ohwoferia (Kebbi BSC); Clement Eganosi (Anambra BSC); Effiong Eyo (Ibom BSC); Chinweze Gabriel (Anambra