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Benin Republic head coach Michel Dussuyer is struggling to put together a squad for this month’s 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Nigeria and Sierra Leone, Completesports.com reports.
Dussuyer was initially scheduled to unveil his squad for both games on Tuesday but it was postponed to Thursday following uncertainties over the availability of majority of the foreign-based players due to travel restrictions caused by coronavirus pandemic.
The Frenchman is set to be without the likes of Jodel Dossou, Steve Mounie, Sessi d ‘Almeida , Khaled Adénon and other France-based players for the qualifiers.
The French government has already imposed a mandatory 7-day quarantine for any person who travels out of Europe.
”Some clubs have already warned our clubs about travelling down here for the AFCON qualifiers. So, they are not willing to play against Nigeria and Sierra Leone,” Auguste Gnansounnou, a reporter with Benin national radio station, ORTB told Completesports.com in an exclusive chat from Cotonou on Tuesday.
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“The clubs have the backing of FIFA not to release players on health grounds and there is nothing the Federation or Dussuyer can do about that.
“The squad is already depleted as there is now a possibility that all the players playing in France will not be available for the games.
“You know more than half of the players in our team are based in France. The coach has also decided to wait until Thursday before releasing the final list.”
“The two days will give him the opportunity to know the players who will be available for the games.”
The Squirrels will host the Super Eagles at the Stade Charles de Gaulle, Porto Novo on March 27 and then face Sierra Leone three days later in Conakry.
Benin occupy second position in Group L with seven points from four games and will secure a spot in Cameroon with a win against the Super Eagles.
By Adeboye Amosu
12 Comments
Story story story now i confirm that the mighty super eagles have started flying again,this people have started having sleepless nights ahead of the game
Unfortunately Nigeria could face the same issues… This is why a home based team should always be on stand by.. Keshi had foresight..
Nothing like that, all our players are not in france and moreover even if they are, proper planning is what matters for now.
Not France issue….Fifa has given clubs the free will to either release players or hold unto them due to corona but I’m quite sure we will have 96% of our players…
Please do not mention the term “home-based!” What Nigeria wants is merit in any sports selection.Let Nigeria first improve it’s league, and good players will emerge.Dont suggest that nediocres should play for Nigeria.
Good news!!!
This is the least of our worries. If that pitch the flying eagles played on in the WAFU U20 tournament is the same one we are also going to play on, then the withdrawal of some Beninoise players is indeed the least of our worries. Armed to the teeth with all our Europe based players, we almost lost to a largely home-based Ghanaian team on a bumpy pitch in Accra in 2001. We just couldn’t get our groove all match. For the sake of our players, I hope that pitch would be wearing a new look. Another case of a player returning to his club strapped in bandages just wouldn’t augur well for the future.
@Dr. Drey
I blame CAF for the wahala with poor pitches all over Africa. It is appalling that CAF has refused to bring down the big stick on the heads of FAs that have refused to maintain playable pitches. It is very easy to make these recalcitrant, retrogressive FAs sit up: take their home matches to other countries with standard pitches.
It is very shameful to subject our boys to torture when bringing them from abroad to play for us. Why should they return to their clubs limping, maimed or strapped onto stretchers, just to serve the fatherland? Even with our good soils and climate, we can’t maintain lush fields?
Many countries keep these poor pitches as scare tactics in order to win matches. But they are directly stagnating their soccer. PHEEEW!
I’ve never stopped asking myself why its so difficult in Africa to do something as simple and basic as tending the grass on a football pitch. There are better pitches in high schools in other parts of the world than in some “national stadia” in Africa. Should we blame this one on slave trade and colonialism too…? I hope the new CAF president, being a major stakeholder in African football even b4 he became president, will see this as a priority. For heavens sake how do you market football played on millet farms….??? And they keep complaining CAF is broke…?!!
For the ones that keep poor pitches as scare tactics in order to win matches…how far have their football developed….? How many tournaments do they eventually get to qualify for even with their tactics…? Most of them dont know their pitch also hampers their progress. I could remember the S/L left winger wen we met them in freetown was so good, but immediate after his leg overs, the ball bubbles away from him and he loses control. That’s a potential goal creation opportunity wasted. That is why they hardly score 2 goals in their home games. And if you don win your home games handsomely in Africa, where you wan take qualify for tournaments…?
It could be mind’s game coupled with gimmick to distract SE, nonetheless Nigeria is supposed to prepare adequately to wade off complacency and distractions. God will give us victory on that day in Jesus name
Pls, make una make all una players available o, so that una go receive their own share of eggs that very day. Don’t want excuses like, “we lost to the super eagles bcs most of our players weren’t available “, no no no! We don’t want that kinda new abeg. Biko, do everything in your power to make them available, u hear? we have lots of enemies down here that need to silenced for the time being.
To me this match is just for bragging right…. It is just for pride… SE is already in cameroun…
We only want to finish this afcon qualifiers unscarthed ASAP….
All these fears our enemy within want to unleash on us is rubbish….
If u are not in support of the players invited, pls kindly stay clear till when your KLOPPS & QUARDIOLAS take over and start inviting CR7, MESSI, POGBA, LEWANDOSKI, RAMOS, DE BRUYNE, MARHEZ, SALAH, MANE, ANOLD, EDERSON et all the stars.
As for us the real SE fans; we’re ok with the players invited….
::::SHALOM:::::