Izuchukwu OkosiNigeria’s Super Eagles and Saudi Arabia will clash in a senior international friendly match in the city of Portimão, Portugal on Friday, 13th October 2023, the Communications and Media department of the Nigeria Football Federation have announced.
The clash comes barely a month before the three-time African champions, who lashed Sao Tome and Principe 6-0 in their 2023 AFCON final-day qualification game in Uyo on Sunday, set out on the race for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals with a home game against the Crocodiles of Lesotho.
Within the same FIFA window in November, the Eagles will play their second match of the qualification series, away to the Warriors of Zimbabwe.
Saudi Arabia’s Green Falcons, who play Mali’s Eagles at the same venue four days later, have never played Nigeria at senior level.
The most remarkable clash between both countries remains the opening match of FIFA U20 World Cup (then known as FIFA World Youth Championship) in 1989, in which second half goals Chrstopher Ohenhen and Mutiu Adepoju steered Nigeria to a comeback 2-1 victory over the host nation in Riyadh.
The Estadio Municipal de Portimão, in the Algarve, is the home ground of Portimonense S.C. and can seat close to 10,000 spectators.
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.
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