The Nigerian U-23s will camp in Ibadan and play their Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania later this month in the Oyo State capital, the Nigeria Football Federation has announced.
The sports ministry secured the Ibadan camping base for the Olympic Eagles, who will need to navigate through the African tournament to reach the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Camping and prosecution of qualifying campaigns and tournaments of the U-23 team for the Olympic Games and the African Games are responsibilities of the sports ministry, but NFF president Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau today commended the ministry for securing the camp.
Tanzania will host the first leg of the tie in the weekend of October 21 and October 23, with the return leg fixed for Saturday, October 29.
The NFF has already scheduled the return leg for the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan.
It will be the first time the stadium, which was recently rebuilt by Governor Seyi Makinde’s government, is hosting a national team match since Super Eagles played Georgia in a friendly in 1994.
Head coach Salisu Yusuf has invited 32 players who will resume camping in Ibadan this weekend.
Nigeria won the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Senegal in 2015, and then went ahead to win the bronze medal at the Olympic men’s football even in Brazil the following year.
However, the 2019 set failed to reach the knockout rounds of the African tournament in Egypt and thus could not earn a ticket to the Olympics in Tokyo last year.
Nigeria, the most successful African country in Olympics men’s football, won gold in Atlanta, USA in 1996 and followed up with silver in Beijing, China 12 years later.
