Nigeria’s Sand Eagles have intensified preparations for their crucial CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie against Ghana, with all 20 invited players now in camp in Kaduna.
The team has spent the past week working through tactical and technical sessions at the Murtala Muhammed Square Sports Complex under the supervision of coach Christopher Kadiri as preparations gather momentum ahead of the two-legged encounter.
Head coach Abdullahi Isa is currently away with the Golden Eaglets, who are preparing for next month’s WAFU-B U-17 Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Nigeria will host Ghana’s Black Sharks in the first leg in Kaduna on Saturday, October 10, before travelling to Accra for the return fixture on Saturday, October 17.
The Sand Eagles are seeking a return to the continental stage after their comeback to international beach soccer two years ago.
Their previous qualifying campaign ended in disappointment, however, after Mauritania eliminated Nigeria on the away-goal rule in the race for a place at the CAF Beach Soccer AFCON hosted by Seychelles.
The Ghana tie therefore presents another opportunity for Nigeria to secure a place among Africa’s leading beach soccer nations.
The winner of the two-legged contest will qualify for the CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations finals in Senegal.
As part of the build-up, the Nigeria Football Federation has also approached the Senegalese Football Federation over the possibility of arranging friendly matches for the Sand Eagles. The proposed games are expected to provide additional competitive preparation ahead of the decisive Ghana fixtures.
Sand Eagles Squad for Ghana Qualifiers
Goalkeepers: Godwin Tale (Kada BSC), Nuhu Noma Aiki (Kebbi BSC), Olalekan Oladipo (Kada BSC).
Defenders: Victor Tale (Kada BSC), Taiwo Adams (Kebbi BSC), Emmanuel Ohwoferia (Kebbi BSC), Clement Eganosi (Anambra BSC), Effiong Eyo (Ibom BSC), Chinweze Gabriel (Anambra BSC).
Forwards: Dozie Frank (Kada BSC), Stanley Ekwe (Anambra BSC), Tanko Emmanuel (Kada BSC), Ekene Obi (Kebbi BSC), Hassan Abubakar (Niger BSC), Sadiq Umar (Kebbi BSC), Kazeem Oyewunmi (Igbogbo BSC), Hassan Abdullahi (Kebbi BSC), Godspower Igudia (Edo BSC), Hamza Bagudu (Jigawa BSC), Hamza Isa (Kebbi BSC).
With the full squad now assembled, attention turns to sharpening Nigeria’s tactical approach and ensuring the Sand Eagles are ready for what promises to be a demanding West African qualifying battle against Ghana.