Super Eagles’ camp bubbles, as training begins today

With 28 players already in camp, the Super Eagles will begin their final preparation today for the African Nations Cup qualifier against Chad slated for Kaduna on June 13.

The arrival on Saturday of the contingent of six players from Warri Wolves swelled the number of players at the Bolton White Hotel and Apartments’ camp to 28, to the delight of the coaches.

Since the team officially opened camp on Thursday, the Super Eagles have trained once daily but the sessions have been very intensive, each lasting about 135 minutes on the artificial turf of the FIFA Goal Project in Abuja.

“These players are already very active and busy with their clubs in the league, sometimes they even play twice in a week, so there is no wisdom in overloading them with two training sessions a day,” Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi explained.

“What we need to do is to tune them up, increase their sharpness and work on team tactics, bonding and understanding. I am very happy with what I have seen of the boys and the quality of the training, as you can see, is getting higher and better by the day,” Keshi added.

The players in camp are Chibuzor Okonkwo, Rabiu Ali, Nelson Ogbonnaya, Ezekiel Mbah, Gabriel Okechukwu, Azeez Shobowale, Moses Ebong, Chima Akas, Nathaniel Joseph, Chinedu Udoji, Chidiebere Eze, Olabisi Samuel, Esosa Igbinoba, Joe Omale, Onyedikachi Bright and Idris Aloma.

Others are Charles Henlong, Ibrahim Shuaibu, Kunle Odunlami, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Tunde Adeniji, Onoriode Odah, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Gbolahan Salami, Stanley Dimgba, Daniel Akpeyi, Michael Egbeta and Solomon Kwambe.

The Super Eagles, entirely made up of domestic football players, will tomorrow play a commemorative match to open a brand new stadium in Katsina, the Katsina State capital.

The new Karkanda Stadium, with a capacity of 35,000 and an artificial playing turf, was recently completed by the Katsina State Government.

A Katsina selected side would face the Super Eagles in the ceremonial encounter scheduled to kickoff at 5pm in what is expected to be a very colourful and epoch making event.