Nigeria’s beach soccer national team, Super Sand Eagles will fly out of the country on Friday to Paraguay, where they will get two weeks of training in their final build-up programme for this month’s world championship, megasportsarena.com gathered.
Administrator of the team, Sunday Okayi enthused that the players and coaches will have enough time to focus adequately and prepare properly for the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, which will hold from 21st November to 1st December in Asuncion, Paraguay.
Okayi expressed strong confidence that the team will make the best of their last phase training programme and participation at a pre-championship competition in Paraguay to put them in the right frame for the main event at Los Pynandi World Cup Stadium in Greater Asuncion.
The preparation competition will see the Sand Eagles confront Oman, Tahiti, Paraguay, Belarus, United Arab Emirates, Senegal and a yet to be named eighth other team, in a contest Okayi says should put the two-time African champions in the right mind set for the Beach Soccer World Cup.
Group A has Paraguay, Japan, Switzerland and USA; Group B features Uruguay, Mexico, Italy and Tahiti; Group C holds Belarus, United Arab Emirates, Senegal and Russia; while Nigeria are in Group D alongside Brazil, Oman and Portugal.
Nigeria picked a ticket for the 10th edition of the global beach soccer fiesta after finishing second behind Senegal at the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations staged in Egypt in December last year, and Super Sand Eagles’ coach, Audu Adamu (Ejo) has listed 12 players in his final roster.
Among them are veterans Abu Azeez and Victor Tale, as well as Emmanuel Ohwoferia, Emeka Ogbonna, Godspower Igudia, Dami Paul, Godwin Iorbee, Taiwo Adams, Godwin Tale, Egan-Osi Ekujimi, Babatunde Badmus and Hameed Kareem.
Ejo’s side, who won the African title in 2007 and 2009, as well as quarter-finalists at the World Cup in 2007 and 2011, will line out in Group B against Brazil (ranked world number one), Portugal (number two) and Oman (14), while Nigeria is ranked 21st.
Host nation, Paraguay will tackle Japan in the opening game on 21st November, while the Sand Eagles will battle Portugal in their first game on 22nd November, then take to the beach against Oman on the 24th November and end group play against Brazil two days later.
Okayi told thenff.com: “We are travelling early to Asuncion in order to participate in an eight-nation pre-competition tournament that will take place in Asuncion, 12th – 16th November. After the tournament, the team will continue intensive training ahead of our first match against Portugal on 22nd November.”
