By Daily Sports Nigeria on March 30, 2023
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been urged to dump the Abuja National Stadium and bring Super Eagles to the Onikan waterfront in Lagos if Nigerians must see Super Eagles at their best.
A former First Bank of Lagos shot stopper, Belock Zuokemefa who spoke on the Eagles poor run especially at home said the biggest challenge of the team is that they come home to play on a turf that is not in any close to what they are used to out there in Europe in their various clubs.
“In Lagos the Lagos state government has upgraded the Mobolaji Johnson Arena (Onikan waterfront). Yes, it is a compact arena but it has one of the best pitches in the country at the moment. The pitch is a hybrid synthetic pitch approved by FIFA/CAF for professional games which our boys would be quite comfortable playing on. It is not a 100% rubber artificial turf pitch that is associated with turf toe injuries and over heating and that point need to be emphasized. We must learn to make use of the very best of whatever we have as a country. If Eagles are taken there in September we would see Osimhen and co doing for Nigeria the way they do it for their clubs in Europe,” Zuekemefa said.
It is recalled that coaches and players from different parts of Africa were full of praise for the Onikan turf during the Aisha Buhari tournament that was played there with South African coach describing it as the best playing surface in Nigeria.
The MJA arena has since after the tournament been largely under utilized as only Kwara United recently used it to prosecute their CAF continental games.
We must always remember that Nations Cup qualifiers and World Cup qualifiers are all CAF competitions just like the continental games.
Source Sporting Sun
Posted March 30, 2023
You may also like...
Aruna To Lead Fulda-Maberzell’s Campaign In German League...
Zidane Hopes There Will Be More Clasicos For...
Klopp Warns Reds To Prepare For ‘Special’ Leeds...
Iheanacho Scores First Europa League Goal For Leicester...
African players in Europe: Partey ends his Arsenal...
La Liga Still Planning To Take Matches To...

FIFA Monday meeting to determine Eagles’ World Cup fate
Adesanya keen to prove GOAT status
Davis Cup: Ochei sparks Nigeria’s tennis revival
56 grassroots clubs battle for Taiwo Afolabi Cup
ICYMI: CAF reaffirms Morocco as host of WAFCON 2026, rejects postponement talk
PHOTOS: Kenya’s Ezra Kering wins 2026 Lagos city marathon
Chukwuemka prefers Austria to Nigeria
Enekwechi throws season best, Okezie finishes second in Serbia
Ogazi wins SEC Runner of the Week
Lookman has matched Osimhen’s impact – Peseiro
West Ham plot Chukwueze summer hijack
Tennis: Stakeholders dream big after Davis Cup promotion
Rangers International going, going . . . (63,556 views)
Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (54,865 views)
Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (52,777 views)
Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (52,416 views)
Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (52,331 views)
Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (52,249 views)
Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (52,116 views)
NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (51,665 views)
Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (50,834 views)
Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (49,365 views)
Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (47,758 views)
John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (47,222 views)