Ekwueme United gets new date

The team was billed to travel last January but it's endless effort to make the trip is being hastened up by the Argentina ambassador's Minister Plenipotentiary to Nigeria, Ricardo J.Monticelli who promise to sort out visa issue as soon as possible.

"We just need few documents from the club (Ekwueme United and the Argentina home office) and everything should be fine,"he told Nigeriasports.com in his Abuja office. 

According to Thelma Thompson, project coordinator of KEAY Consult- a US based sports consultancy firm, who are brokers for the tour and part sponsor of the Nigerian side, the soccer exchange programme will be an annual event between both countries.

Thompson however stressed that the purpose of the whole concept is to strengthen sports ties, brotherhood as well as helping to develop Nigeria's professional soccer.

Four friendly matches are already lined up for the team and they include clash with CLUB Gibson Brown, Newell's Old Boys, River Plate and another fixture against a selected side by the Buenos Aires soccer
FA.

There will also be a tour of Sports facilities by the visiting team and its officials which also includes a planned visit to the Argentine football hall of fame and Maradona Soccer museum in Buenos Aires.

Already organisers have secured a planned meeting with soccer legend, Diego Armando Maradona who just returned from drug rehabilitation in Cuba during one of their training sessions.

1. Their training will be supervised by astute world class coaches including Professor Jorge Hugo Castelli now in charge of the national training centre in Buenos Aires.

2. The players will be given opportunity to stay for a day in a family of present and past Argentine national team members.

3. The team representatives will sign a contract with Westbroward United marketing representatives of River Plates which will give them affiliation to the Argentine club.

The coming of Ekwueme United to the country is already in major newspaper including the leading national daily, Argentine Herald.

The side sponsored by the duo of Nigerian international Ifeanyi Ekwueme and his elder brother, Sunday Ekwueme (Vice President of the club) has been playing in the Nigerian FA cup since 2000 and made a decent run last season.

Ekwueme United is the current Champion in the Upper Austria Cup 2004 played in Wels – Austria.