Julius OkorieSuper Eagles camp in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State Capital, is bubbling with activities as the team shapes up for their crucial encounter against Bafana Bafana of South Africa, on Friday night.
The Labour Union strike had caged some players from arriving as scheduled but with the strike suspended late Tuesday, for at least one week, according to Labour, more players have hit the camp and preparations that have been ongoing since last week have intensified today (Wednesday).
The latest report indicates that 20 players have already arrived camp, with only three, namely Fulham’s Alex Iwobi, Maduka Okoye (Udinese), and Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, who will be looking to carry his killer form fresh from winning the Europa League final into Friday’s showdown.
The Nigeria versus South Africa match will kick off at 8 pm local time. The Eagles will afterward jet out to Abidjan to take on the Squirrels of Benin Republic on June 10, just as Bafana Bafana will take on Zimbabwe on June 11, in continuation of the qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Eagles forward, Ademola Lookman, has rubbished talks of possible regret over his choice to play for Nigeria instead of England. The former England junior international, insisted that it was a decision he made after careful thought, adding that he has no reason to regret as it is indeed an honour to play for Nigeria.
Lookman was born in England to Nigerian parents, thus making him eligible to play for either country.
“I wanted to build a career internationally. The decision was something that I thought about for a long time before making it. To play for Nigeria is an honour first of all and the best decision I ever made,” said Lookman, who made his international debut for Nigeria in 2022 against the Black Stars of Ghana.
He has since made 21 appearances for the Super Eagles with six goals to his credit.
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Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
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