TO be or not to be? That is the question going through the minds of most of the players in the Super Eagles’ camp right now. Reason: The coaches were expected to decide before dinner yesterday the final 23 players that would make today’s trip for their 2016 African Nations Championship (CHAN) training camp in South Africa.
There are 26 players in the Bolton White Hotel, Abuja, camp and only 23 will make the team for the CHAN, which kicks off in Rwanda on January 16.
Super Eagles’ Media Officer, Toyin Ibitoye, told The Guardian yesterday that Coach Sunday Oliseh, who is still recuperating from a virus infection in Belgium, is in touch with the other members of technical crew, adding that the coaches will announce the 23 players for the South Africa camp before the team leaves for Lagos by a 7.00 a.m. flight today.
The Eagles, who beat an Abuja-based academy 3-0 on Thursday, did not train yesterday.
Ibitoye revealed that the team would travel to South Africa from the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, by 1.00 p.m. aboard an Arik Air flight today with Oliseh’s assistants, Salisu Yusuf, Jean-Francois Losciuto and Tijani Babangida leading the squad.
Oliseh will join the team in Pretoria, South Africa, for the final phase of preparation for the CHAN.
According to Ibitoye, the Super Eagles chose to camp in Pretoria because it is of a higher altitude than Johannesburg and, therefore, fits quite well into the team’s programme.
In the team’s itinerary in South Africa is a friendly match against Angola on January 6 and another game against Cote d’Ivoire on January 11.
The CHAN will begin on January 16 in Kigali and Nigeria are drawn against Niger, Tunisia and Guinea in the group phase.
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