Ethiopia arrives for Eagles, NFF lists Guinean referees for friendly

Posted by admin Headlines, Soccer, Sports Thursday, January 2nd, 2014

THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Thursday named three FIFA referees from the Republic of Guinea as officials for Saturdays international friendly match between the Super Eagles and the Wayla Antelopes of Ethiopia in Abuja.

The center referee, according to the NFF, is Keita Yakuba, who will be assisted by Toure Yasin and Abdel Rafiss are expected to arrive Nigeria on Froday for the match, which is billed for tomorrow at the Abuja national stadium.

Also the 29-man Ethiopian team of 23 players and six officials, who were yesterday issued with their Nigerian visa by the Nigerian embassy in Addis Ababa, are expected to arrive Abuja today by 12.40pm aboard an Ethiopian airline flight.

The General Secretary of the NFF, Musa Amadu told The Guardian yesterday in Abuja that the federation had detailed a team of staff to ensure that the Ethiopians received a warm reception, stressing that the team will be camped at the Chida hotels in Abuja.

Amadu said that the NFF insisted that Ethiopia must present a strong team for the Super Eagles friendly because “we believe that the team should be adequately prepared for CHAN tournament. The Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdulahi is expected to be the special guest in the match.

“We just confirmed that the Ethiopians have gotten their visa from the Nigerian embassy in Addis Ababa. We have also received reports from the team that they will arrive Abuja airport by 12.40 pm on Friday, aboard an Ethiopian airline. We insisted on getting a big team for the Super Eagle to play the friendly because this is the only way to prepare them very well for the CHAN. Engaging a strong team like Ethiopia we believe will help the team at the championship,” Amadu noted.

-Guardianwp_posts