NFF finally decides on Benin for Nigeria, Sierra Leone AFCON qualifier

• Udeze cautions Eagles against complacency
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has finally picked Benin as host city for next month’s 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Sierra. The federation, which earlier said it was looking at either Benin or Asaba for the duel, at the weekend confirmed it will hold at the newly refurbished Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.

The match will be the first big event at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, which was refurbished for the Edo 2020 National Sports Festival. The stadium is the first to acquire Video Assistant Referee (VAR) gadget, a facility bought by the Edo State government ahead of the 2020 National Sports Festival.

NFF Assistant Director, Media, Ademola Olajire, said the NFF is still working round the clock to ensure the success of the AFCON qualifier, adding that it has set up a monitoring team to keep close tabs on events across the country to ascertain if the qualifiers will be shifted or not.

Meanwhile, former Super Eagles defender, Ifeanyi Udeze, has urged the Super Eagles not to allow the recent crisis in the country affect their performance in the game against Sierra Leone.

He believes a good outing against Sierra Leone would help the country deal with the effects of the recent protests and series of crisis witnessed across the nation.

“Make no mistake about it, the game against Sierra Leone will be tough. The Eagles should not underestimate the Sierra Leoneans because of the results of past outings against them team.

“The Eagles need to book the AFCON ticket to keep Nigerian football alive,” he said.