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
Nigeria head coach Stephen Keshi says he will start calling up national team players to a training camp next month as he begins preparations for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations
Nigeria’s midfielder John Obi Mikel (L) defends against Sudan’s Muhannad El Tahir (C) during the 2015 African Cup of Nations qualifying football match in Khartoum on October 11, 2014. Sudan defeated Nigeria 1-0. AFP PHOTO/EBRAHIM HAMID
qualifiers.
The tactician is keen to get an early jump on assembling the Super Eagles, having failed to lead them to this year’s AFCON finals in Equatorial Guinea – a shortcoming which almost cost him his job.
And, with the AFCON 2017 qualifiers set to kick off in June, where they will face Chad in Abuja, Keshi – who was re-appointed as head coach this month – is hopeful of getting an early start on his preparations.
“We need to start camping next month because time is not on our side again since the fixtures for the AFCON 2017 qualifiers have been released by CAF,” Keshi told Goal.
“We will definitely start off with the players based here in Nigeria and move on until the required time the overseas clubs can release our players for us.”
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