Ahead of next month’s 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and their Algerian counterparts at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) inspection team has been monitoring ongoing renovation work at the stadium.
After the first tour of the venue on Saturday the second inspection has been fixed for Tuesday, while the final inspection will come up on Wednesday, 2 November 2016.
This is in line with the NFF’s promise to get the Akwa Ibom State Government to work on the turf, following complaints by Super Eagles’ players after last month’s 2017 Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania about the bad nature of the turf. Super Eagles players were not happy with state of the Uyo stadium pitch.
According to a press release from the NFF, the Deputy General Secretary, Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme; Assistant Director (Technical) Siji Lagunju and Chief Sports Officer, Sunday Okayi were taken on the tour of the venue by Monday Uko, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Youth and Sports and the Commissioner for Special Duties, Etido Inyang.
The consultant to Julius Berger, the construction company handling the work, was with the team.
“It is a task that we are approaching with all seriousness, and we want to appreciate the Akwa Ibom State Government for the seriousness that it is also attaching to this important task,” Ikpeme told thenff.com.
African Qualifying Series Group B leaders Nigeria host Algeria’s Fennecs at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on 12th November 2016 in one of the Matchday 2 encounters.
Nigeria beat Algeria to lift her first –ever Africa Cup of Nations when hosting in 1980, but Algeria returned the compliment when hosting 10 years later. Algeria defeated Nigeria home and away in 1981 in the qualifying race for the 1982 FIFA World Cup, but Nigeria returned the compliment in 2005, in the race for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
In the qualifying race for 1994 FIFA World Cup, Nigeria defeated Algeria in Lagos and drew with the Fennecs in Algiers to qualify for her first ever World Cup.
Algeria came from behind to beat Nigeria at the 1982 Africa Cup of Nations in Libya. Both countries played a 0-0 draw at the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, but Nigeria ousted Algeria on penalties in the semifinals of the 1988 Cup finals in Morocco.
Nigeria defeated Algeria 1-0 at the 2002 Africa Cup in Mali, and by the same scoreline at the 2010 Africa Cup finals in Angola to win bronze.
credit: leadership
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