Izuchukwu OkosiDeputy African champions Nigeria will play the Black Stars of Ghana and the Lea Aigles of Mali in two international friendlies billed for Marrakech, Morocco on March 22 and 26, reports Prime Business Africa.
The Eagles currently without a coach following a dead-end in the contract negotiations with Jose Peseiro was scheduled to play against world champions Argentina on March 26 in Los Angeles but the game was cancelled due to logistical reasons bothering on visa availability for the players.
The friendlies against the African opposition was facilitated by the Nigeria Football Federation FIFA March Agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport.
The NFF have invited 26 players for the ties comprised mostly of the players that prosecuted the 203e Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
However making their returns to the team after injury kept them out of the Afcon campaign are Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi and Real Sociedad striker Sadiq Umar.
Bayer Leverkusen forward Nathan Tella also gets an invitation as well as Turkey-based Fisayo Dele-Bashiru but one of the big stars that missed the Nations Cup due to injury and Tella’s clubmate, Victor Boniface misses out.
The duo of Gabriel Osho (Luton Town, England) and Benjamin Tianimu (Ihefu SC, Tanzania) are set to make their debuts.
Lyon FC forward Gift Orban was once again omitted from the team despite recovering from the injury that barred his international debut last year and since making great strides in his club career.
The game against Ghana is bound to rekindle old rivalry between the West African rivals that dates back to 73 years ago.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
