Nigeria Content Online

The proposed international friendly match between Nigeria’s
Super Eagles and the Chipolopolo of Zambia will no longer hold as scheduled.

The game had been scheduled to take place in Abuja, at the
National Stadium, on March 29, two days after the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations
qualifier between the Super Eagles and the Antelopes of Ethiopia. As the March
29 date is a day set aside by football’s world governing body FIFA for
international friendly matches, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was
hoping to keep the Super Eagles busy by securing a game against another
national team.

The Zambians were approached and media reports suggested that a
deal had been agreed upon by both the NFF and the Football Association of
Zambia (FAZ). However, the game will no longer come up on March 29 as the
Zambian federation cannot guarantee that they will have a full strength squad
for the game in Abuja. This is because, two days before the proposed game
against the Super Eagles, the Chipolopolo will, like their Nigerian
counterparts, also be involved in a 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier
against the Mambas of Mozambique.

And as no notification of a game between Zambia and Nigeria had
been given to the club sides of Zambia’s foreign based entourage prior to their
release for their March 27 qualifier against the Mozambicans, it would be
difficult for the FAZ to raise a team for the proposed friendly.

Their reason

“Please note that the Zambia National Team will be playing an
Africa Cup of Nations match against Mozambique on 27th March, 2011 at the
Machava Stadium in Maputo,” said George Kasengele, the General Secretary of the
FAZ. “We had received a request for the match with the Nigerian Super Eagles
through a match agent but have not yet confirmed this with him. Apparently all
our professional players will be required to return to their respective bases
after the game against Mozambique. In light of this we are unlikely to raise a
strong team to play the Super Eagles on that date.”

Kasengele, nevertheless, expressed the Zambian national team’s
readiness to engage the Super Eagles on any other FIFA approved match date
other than March 29. For their part, the NFF expressed regret over the
unavailability of the Zambians but remained optimistic about their chances of
finding a suitable opponent to pit against the Super Eagles on March 29. “We
have been informed about the development and it’s quite unfortunate as they
would have been a good test for the Super Eagles,” said Ademola Olajire, the
federation’s media officer. “But the NFF will do everything to get a suitable
opponent for the Super Eagles. We have a few countries in mind and once a deal
is concluded we will make it public.”

He, however, refused to divulge the names of the countries the NFF are
lining up as potential opponents of the Super Eagles come March 29, but a
source within the football body confirmed that arrangements are being made to
get a date with Benin or Cote d’Ivoire.