The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has rejected a request by South Africa for a shift in the date for the AFCON 2019 qualifier, insisting that the June 10 date will not be shifted.
The South Africa Football Association (SAFA) was reported to have made the request for the fixture to be brought forward to enable them fix a friendly game before their players depart to their respective clubs.
However, according to a top official of NFF, the request from SAFA is best described as dead on arrival, because the football house has planned its programme for the tie.
“We had from 5th-10th as possible dates, and only after due deliberation did we decide on 10th as the date for the game. We won’t shift or alter our plans to accommodate a late request”, he said.
“As host of the game, the decision to shift the tie or not lies in our hands, and we have decided to stick by our date. It’s not going to change for any external reason”.
The Eagles are due to arrive in Abuja on June 1 after a week-long training stint in Corsica, France.
They will train in Abuja before they fly out to Uyo for the game against Bafana Bafana.
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