Sekondi ready for Nigeria Super Eagles

The city of Sekondi in Ghana, where the Nigeria senior national team, Super Eagles will prosecute their preliminary group games at the 26th African Cup of Nations beginning next weekend, is now ready for the team after a two-day working visit by a five-man delegation of the Nigeria Football Association.

FA Chairman Sani Lulu Abdullahi, Executive Committee Members Shehu Adamu and Patrick Ekong, Assistant Secretary General Musbau Kayode and Chief Media Officer Ademola Olajire paid heavy attention to details as they soured the cities of Accra, Sekondi and Takoradi on Wednesday and Thursday.

The focus was on the arrangements for accommodation, accreditation, transportation, medicare, training pitches and sundry for the Nigerian team. At the end of the visit, the Nigeria FA Chairman said: “It was a good thing that we came because so much was left hanging by the Local Organizing Committee. There were things that needed to be tidy up at the edges and it was only when we were there that we could do those things.

“I am particularly excited because we have been able to firm up arrangements on many angles and the whole of Ghana is now ready for the arrival of the Eagles next week. with all the arrangements on ground, we should be able to steer the Eagles to victory in Ghana”, said Lulu Abdullahi.

The NFA team met with the Chairman of the Ghana 2008 LOC, Dr. Kofi Amoah, the CEO Rex Danquah, Managing Director of Raybow International Hotel in Takoradi and a number of important personalities connected with the championship, as well as hoteliers, and also checked out the 20,000-capacity Sekondi Essipon Stadium, which was being commissioned officially by President John Kufour Friday.

The Super Eagles are expected to leave their training camp in Malaga on Wednesday, to fly to Frankfurt, where they connect a Lufthansa Airline flight to Lagos and arrive in the country on Wednesday, 17th January. The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana 2008 LOC Danquah confirmed Thursday evening that the Nigeria team will be airlifted to the city of Sekondi (some 250 kilometers away from Accra) once they arrive in the capital city.

Nigeria will play in Group-B of the 26th African Nations Cup finals against Mali, Cote d’Ivoire and Benin Republic.