BRAZIL, Curitiba : (From top L) Nigeria’s team midfielder John Obi Mikel, forward Emmanuel Emenike, defender Kenneth Omeruo, defender Godfrey Oboabona and defender Efe Ambrose (from bottom L) forward Victor Moses, goalkeeper and captain Vincent Enyeama, forward Ahmed Musa, midfielder Ogenyi Onazi, midfielder Ramon Azeez and defender Juwon Oshaniwa pose during a Group F football match between Iran and Nigeria at the Baixada Arena in Curitiba at the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 16, 2014. AFP PHOTO
By John EGBOKHAN
Optimism is high in the camp of the Super Eagles ahead of the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifying match with Chad at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in the Kaduna on June 13.
The new-found belief is an offshoot of the League Management Company’s decision to call for a three- week break for all 20 teams playing in the country’s top-flight league, beginning this weekend.
Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama saves a shot by Paul Pogba of France.
This comes as home-based Super Eagles players started arriving their training camp yesterday for the opening day AFCON fixture with the less-fancied Chad side
With the league going on a 21-day recess, feelers from the camp have it that Coach Stephen Keshi is confident that he would have enough time to knock the players into a winning unit when they confront Chad.
With Eagles absence at the last AFCON held in Equatorial Guinea still fresh on their mind, we gathered last night that Keshi has no plans to release any of the home-stars in his custody to any club.
Our normally authoritative source confirmed to us on the telephone that Warri Wolves were the side that the hard-stance rule of not releasing any club in camp might not apply to because of their continental duties in the CAF Confederation Cup, where they are billed to face AFC Leopards in a return leg match. They lost the first leg
“This is a good opportunity for the coach to get the players into proper shape for the match against Chad. The coach will have enough time to perfect his strategies for the match and ensure that all things that will make the team emerge victorious are in place.
“There is this belief in the camp that the league break is a good development for the Super Eagles as the coach has never had this long time to prepare his team before a match in Nigeria. Keshi has time on his side and wants to make very good use of it.
“And the coach does not plan to release any of the players in his custody to any club except Warri Wolves who are playing in the continent and have about six players in the Eagles camp”, added our source.
Keshi has 26 players in camp ahead of the qualifier against Chad.
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