Super Eagles top stars led by returnee Ogehi Onazi, Ahmed Musa and Brown Ideye have declared a cold war on the Bafana Bafana of South Africa ahead of the August 12 Mandela Challenge cracker.
The trio have been making concerted enquiries about the friendly as the arrival for all the players according to the NFF remains, Sunday, August 11 in South Africa for the game scheduled for Wednesday, August 14.
Super Eagles Secretary Dayo Enebi Achor, was quoted by Media Officer, Ben Alaiya, as saying that Chelsea FC star Victor Moses was the first player to put a call though to the team to say he will be available for the game and will be among the first player to arrive South Africa for the game. Moses is expected to fly straight from the United States to South Africa for the tie.
In consonance with renewed interest by the national team stars for the game, Obinna Nsofor, has been making desperate enquiries about his return to the national team and has also promised to be early for the game in South Africa’s warmest city of Durban.
Similarly, the NFF leadership through the Secretary General, Barr Musa Amadu, has reacted quickly to an initial position of Russian side, Spartak Moscow, that it will not release CAN 2013 goleador Emmanuel Emenike for the Mandela challenge. “The NFF will not accept any of such claims that it’s not a FIFA free window, because it is and as I speak with you the NFF Scribe has also made his position known to Spartak”, team sources declared.
Indications are that all invited players for the prestige international friendly in honour of Africa’s formost nationalist, Dr Nelson Mandela will be available for the encounter from the Nigerian perspective, as the NFF is determined to counter any move from foreign based clubsides to deny Nigeria the services of the players. “Don’t forget that the game is also a dress rehearsal for the September World Cup qualifier against the Flames of Malawi and we can’t afford to let anything to chance”, the NFF Secretary was quoted as saying.
