Head Coach Salisu Yusuf has picked goalkeeper Kayode Bankole, utility player Dominion Ohaka and midfielder Afeez Nosiru as part of an 18-man squad to feature for Nigeria against the A team of Costa Rica in an international friendly in San Jose next week.
The Super Eagles will confront the Senior National Team of Costa Rica in a prestigious international friendly in the country’s capital on 9th November.
NFF’s FIFA Match Agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport told thenff.com that the three-time African champions have been invited to the central American nation as part of major activities to send forth the Los Ticos to the FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar.
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Yusuf picked goalkeepers Bankole and Nathaniel Nwosu (U23 team first choice), defenders Daniel Bameyi, Chidiebere Nwobodo and Evans Ogbonda, midfielders Nosiru and Qudus Akanni and forwards Sunday Faleye and Edidiong Ezekiel, among others.
The game, scheduled for the National Stadium in San Jose, will kick off at 8pm Costa Rica time on Wednesday, 9th November (which is 3am, 10thNovember in Nigeria).
The Nigeria team has been training at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan for the past week, and is scheduled to fly out of the country to Costa Rica on Saturday, 5th November.
EAGLES FOR COSTA RICA
Kayode Bankole, Nathaniel Nwosu, Daniel Bameyi, Samuel Kalu, Chidiebere Nwobodo, Mustapha Jibrin, Evans Ogbonda, Afeez Nosiru, Samson Paul, Daniel Wotlai, Ezekiel Edidiong, Dominion Ohaka, Qudus Akanni, Shina Akinniran, Sunday Faleye, Jerry Alex, Isaiah Ejeh, Suleiman Garba
16 Comments
This guys will be schooled by a world cup bound experienced Costa Rican side playing at home in a rammed stadium.
Look at Nigeria GIANT OF AFRICA.loòooooooool.. mumu everywhere finished country mumu leaders. Ahahahahahahahahah Fvxk super Chickens hahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!!
Hehehehehe! I laugh in Kurdistan. Wotowoto loading.
Having a home based squad is a good thing. In fact, in my opinion, Nigeria should have 3 teams at senior level. Team A and Team B comprised of foreign based players, and Team C of home based players.
Then the very best out of these can be selected for competitive matches and tournaments.
So using home based players for friendlies is good. However, SHOE GET SIZE.
Is this the best way to test these players, against the TEAM A of a world cup bound country?
Costa Rica will not be complaining. It will likely be a confidence boosting win before the real business starts at the mundial. For Nigeria, another unnecessary embarrassment that could have been easily avoided.
Let’s hope the lads rise to the occasion and give us a pleasant surprise. It is well!
@pompei, can you kindly do a team list of SE A, B, and C (the first 11 with 10 subs = 21 players each)?
It is not as easy as it seems because Injury, coach favorites, loss of form, non-availability, etc will come into a factor in the choice of players.
Bro, the way I see it is not by players’ selection but the structure of the footballing body.
All our underaged teams should naturally become feeders to the main SE.
Until the club sides in Nigeria become well-funded and up to North African clubs’ standard, and reach the finals of African Club competitions, Home-based SE will continue to be a training material for other serious footballing countries.
Chrisomega, it is very possible for Nigeria to raise 3 standing national teams, with the sheer number of players we have plying their trade at home and abroad.
If we decide to go that route, there is nothing wrong with that. However, friendlies are not so friendly in international football. Pride and reputation is at stake, so team selection should be done with that in mind. A match of this caliber, at a minimum, should be played by the team B, or ideally a mix of team A and B.
We can experiment all we want with the right mix of players for friendlies. However, only the best available should be selected to play the qualifiers and tournaments. It’s not rocket science.
Proper Wotowoto.
This country football is finished it is clear. That these bunch of ignorant ass$@&@%@^# do not give a damn about continuity and development.
Is this a joke or something, are they going to prosecute the match with these set of players for real.
A lightweight boxer wants to start a training program.
Does it make sense for him to be looking for heavy weights as sparring partners?
Las las, the boxing career he is trying to develop will come to an end violently right there in the gym.
Make we dey try apply sense for things ooo.
Hehehehe Pompei. Well said.
I concur with your analogy. These unintelligently arranged friendlies which often result in us lining up just any 11 players we can lay our hands on, because the game falls outside the FIFA window and we wont get clubs to release players, arent helping in any way. They are not helping the SE as a brand, they are not helping the SE as a team and they are not helping the players prosecuting these games too.
I dont know why everyone is throwing jabs at Salisu Yusuf. He didnt arrange the friendly. He wouldn’t secure the release of even the fringest of fringe players knocking for a shout at a SE call-up in Europe. The NPFL as it is now is even on break. The most sensible thing he could have done is to call up the same players he has been working with in the U23s and CHAN teams. I doubt is there will be any gains for him and his team from this friendly as a coach and as a team, apart from having a few more border control stamps on their passports. I pity him really bad at the moment. Because he is practically being led to the slaughter house as he cannot do anything about it.
But on a lighter note, this your analogy has just set the mood for my weekend. It just reminds of the that adage that person wey dey owe landlord rent nor dey use curry cook stew. Arranging an International Friendly against a WC bound team on their home turf and lining up your Team Q is a recipe for disaster.
I can’t stop laughing, don’t get me wrong sir your points are sincere but e be like say na team Y dem go use play d match I mean what is this? A testimonial match? Hehe i just dey laugh dis people wey full NFF.
Loool, let’s hope Team Q can spring a pleasant surprise and keep the scoreline respectable!
Well said Dr Drey. I also want to view that this Game is for the ‘purpose of financial inducements’. In another words, they want to use the Game to generate some US dollar to meet some of their pressing needs. As always, l enjoyed reading your very lucid thoughts above, Dr Drey.
NFF and useless friendly matches. Do these people think at all? Friendly matches are meant to help a team grow and discover new players. How exactly is this one going to help achieve those objectives? Which team did the one we played against Mexico help build? Which player did we discover in those matches? All we do is just put some players into a plane and send them to play matches. How is this Gusau admimistration different from Pinnick’s? Same old way of doing things, nothing new,nothing useful.
Thus country isn’t funny o
When we tank in rankings and become unseeded in the next draw, we will scream blue murder at FIFA.
It is indeed 4 the benefit of the Chan Eagles,who has most at stake due to their upcoming olympic quailfiers and Chan tournament. Nothing useless about the match,bcos,their exposure boost their confidence. Just wait and see the outcome of the match.