The
raging terror attacks by fundamentalist group, Boko Haram, in northern Nigeria
have made the Brazilian national team cancel a planned high-profile friendly
match with the Super Eagles.
The Super Eagles
were due to play the former world champions in Nigeria
during a FIFA friendly window in September but the recent bombings have forced
the Brazilians to reconsider their proposed visit to Nigeria.
The Brazilian FA is
reported to have settled for the Bafana Bafana of South
Africa, but the match will be played either
in Brazil or
the USA on
September 7.
The Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF) however said the Nigeria
versus Brazil
friendly would still hold as planned. An official of the football body told
PUNCH Newspaper that the organisers had not given up on bringing the Samba Boys
to Nigeria.
“The friendly has
not been cancelled; the organisers are still hopeful of sorting out a few
details in order to bring the Brazilians to Nigeria.
It is actually Guinness, the Match arrangement and the agent that is putting
the match together is confident it will hold,” the NFF
official said.
Nigeria is looking
to play a high-profile friendlies as coach Stephen Keshi continue to strengthen
the team ahead of their crucial qualifiers for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations
and the 2014 World Cup.
Cancelled
league games
The bombings in the
north have also affected the hosting of league matches in the region. The Nigeria
Premier League was forced to suspend the Week 28 match between Jigawa Golden
Stars and Ocean Boys indefinitely due to the crisis in Kaduna.
Both sides were scheduled to play in Jigawa on Wednesday.
Ocean Boys were
forced to return to Abuja on
Tuesday when they turned back from their journey to Dutse, the capital of Jigawa
State.
The new date for the
match has yet to be decided by the NPL.
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