The Nigeria Football Federation has perfected all arrangements that have to do with the Super Eagles’ run-in to the 20th FIFA World Cup finals, according to Nigeria football spokesman Ademola Olajire.
Olajire said in London on Wednesday that logistics for all friendly matches, hotel accommodation, international flights, local flights, movements to and from airports and hotels, feeding and conducive environments have all been dealt with to the letter.
“I can tell you that the NFF is on top of the situation and not taking anything for granted. The FIFA World Cup is the biggest project there is in football and as far as the present NFF is concerned, every detail is important.”
He disclosed that on Wednesday morning, two assistants of NFF’s FIFA Match Agent, Jairo Pachon departed London for Philadelphia, USA to prepare ground for the Super Eagles’ arrival on Thursday. It is a seven hours’ flight from London to Philadelphia.
After Wednesday night’s clash with Scotland’s Tartan Army at the Craven Cottage, the Eagles’ delegation, led by NFF President Aminu Maigari, will on Thursday morning fly to Philadephia aboard a British Airways plane, and then driven by bus to The Westin Philadelphia hotel.
After playing Greece inside Philadelphia Union Stadium on 3rd June, the Eagles will move to Jacksonville, Florida where they will stay at Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront on East Coastline Drive.
They will play Juergen Klinsmann’s Team USA in Jacksonville on 7th June.
On 10th June, the African champions will fly from Miami International Airport aboard an American Airline flight to Sao Paulo (nine hours) and arrive at the Guarulhos International Airport, Sao Paulo at 8.40pm local time. They will be met on arrival by FIFA’s transport and accommodation officials, officials of the Local Organising Committee and the NFF’s advance delegation.
The delegation will then be driven to the Team Base Camp, Vitoria Hotel Concept in Campinas (60 minutes’ drive from Guarulhos Airport). The hotel was inspected and approved by Coach Stephen Keshi a day after the World Cup Draw in Salvador on 6th December 2013.
Stephen Keshi’s wards will train at the Brinco do Ouro Stadium, which playing pitch recently underwent extensive upgrade at the prompting of the NFF, and the Mayor of Campinas, Mr. Jonas Donizette, has at various times assured of adequate security for Team Nigeria. Portugal is the only other team staying in Campinas.
World football –governing body, FIFA will take over the team from arrival in Sao Paulo, and make arrangements for chartered flights from Campinas to match venues in Curitiba, Cuiaba and Porto Alegre. FIFA will also arrange Venue –Specific Training Sites in those venues.
However, the NFF already knows that the Super Eagles will stay at Radisson Hotel Curitiba when they go to play Iran on 16th June, stay at the Hotel Hits Pantanal when they go to Cuiaba to play Bosnia-Herzegovina on 21st June and stay at Holiday Inn Porto Alegre when they visit that city to play Argentina on 25th June – exactly 20 years to the day both teams clashed at the 1994 World Cup in USA.
Maigari sets ‘friendly’ record!
Wednesday’s international friendly between the Super Eagles and Scotland’s Tartan Army was the 24th played by the Senior National Team of Nigeria during the present NFF administration headed by Alhaji Aminu Maigari.
Showered with plaudits worldwide for being, undisputedly, the most successful administration in the history of the game in Nigeria, Maigari’s team has also taken the cake for being the best in preparing all National Teams for international engagements.
Apart from the 26 friendly matches that the Super Eagles must have played under the administration heading into the 20th FIFA World Cup finals (as they also play Greece and USA in the United States of America early June), the other National Teams have also played several international friendlies.
It is the best record for any administration in the history of the supreme authority for the game in Nigeria.
The Eagles have played against Korea Republic (Seoul), Sierra Leone (Lagos), Kenya (Abuja), Argentina (Abuja and Dhaka), Ghana (London), Botswana (Benin City), Zambia (Kaduna), Angola (Abuja), Liberia (Monrovia), Egypt (Dubai), Peru (Lima), Niger Republic (Niamey), Venezuela (Miami, USA), Catalonia (Barcelona), Cape Verde (Faro, Portugal), Mexico (Houston, USA), South Africa (Durban), Burkina Faso (Kaduna), Jordan (Amman), Italy (London), Ethiopia (Abuja), Mexico (Atlanta, USA) and Scotland (London). They play Greece in Philadelphia on 3rd June and USA in Jacksonville, Florida on 7th June.
The Senior Women Team, Super Falcons have played the likes of Czech Republic, Slovakia, South Africa, Japan and Cameroon while the U-20 boys, Flying Eagles have clashed with Benin Republic, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, and featured regularly in the Cape Town U-20 Tournament. They also played in the Toulon International Tournament in France for the first time ever, last year.
The U-17 Boys, Golden Eaglets, have played, among others, Rwanda, Botswana and Qatar and taken part in the WAFU B U-17 Tournament while the Beach Soccer Team has featured in the Samsung Intercontinental Tournament and regularly competed in the COPA Lagos Invitational Tournament.
Maigari explained: “Our philosophy is that those who fail to prepare actually prepare to fail. For a team to do well at major competitions, it has to prepare adequately. That is why we have always endeavoured to, within our limited resources, prepare all our National Teams adequately for international engagements.”
newfanzone 