After receiving an open cheque from the Rivers State Executive Governor, Nyesom Wike, Rivers United Football Club have revealed they will invade the continent of Africa for recruitment in readiness for their 2017 CAF Champions League campaign.
Rivers United finished second in the concluded Nigeria Professional Football League behind Enugu Rangers with the two teams representing Nigeria in next year’s Africa’s flagship inter-club competition.
An official of the Pride of Rivers, as Rivers United are called, Bright Ogude, confirmed to nigeriasoccernet.com that delivering the CAF Champions League trophy next year means they will have to parade the best crop of players.
“CAF Champions League is a huge competition. We are not going there just to make up the numbers but to make a good impact with the ultimate ambition to win,” Ogude who is also the scouting officer of the club.
“We are therefore going to recruit massively, we need quality players, experienced players for that matter to drive our ambition.
“We’ll look beyond the Nigerian scene, we will spread our search for good players across the African continent.
“Personally, I’m not new to scouting. I started off in 2004 when (late) coach Musa Abdullahi was in charge of Dolphins.
“He introduced me to Shuaibu Amodu who at that time was in charge of Sharks.
“Since then, I’ve never looked back. I’ve scouted such players as Emem Eduok (Kasimpassa of Turkey) Abduljelil Ajagun (Roda JC Kerkrade of Holland), Chidi Osuchukwu who plays for S.C Braga of Portugal among other players.
“The governor has promised the clubf adequate funding, as well as our pre p-season camping at Madrid, Spain.
“It is now left for us to go into the transfer market and sign quality players and this we’ll do having set our target of winning the trophy for the state and country,” Ogude stressed.
credit: completesportsnigeria
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