Pius Ayinor
The Super Eagles have been told to stay fully focused and avoid distractions as they face the Wild Dogs of Guinea-Bissau in Tuesday’s 2027 AFCON qualifying match at the 24 September Stadium in Bissau. The Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, made the call.
Ikpeme made the charge as the Nigerian contingent landed in Bissau on Sunday evening, for the top-of-the-table clash in Group L, with both teams having won their first-day encounters. The delegation arrived aboard a chartered ValueJet aircraft which touched down at the Aeroporto Internacional Osvaldo Vieira at 7.07pm (8.07pm Nigeria time) on Sunday.
On hand to receive the players and officials were the Consul of the Embassy of Nigeria in Bissau, Mr. Ifeanyi Obuneme Chukwuenyem, officials of the Guinea Bissau Football Federation, and an excited group of Nigerians led by the President of the Nigerian Community Football Association, Mr. Agwu Ojukwu.
“We were here for a similar AFCON qualifying match three years ago, and we won by a lone goal. Victory is crucial on Tuesday, and I believe you will give your all for the three points as you did three years ago, and as you did on Friday against Madagascar in Uyo.
“Our focus and concentration must be one hundred percent for the entire 90 minutes, because Guinea-Bissau is a very strong team in every way you look at it. We played them at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, and we needed all our strength and diligence to win. The team is not one that we can take for granted.”
On January 19, 2022, at the Roumdé Adjia Stadium in the northern Cameroonian town of Garoua, Sadiq Umar and William Troost-Ekong scored second-half goals to give Nigeria all three points in a Group D AFCON match.
In total, Nigeria and Guinea-Bissau have played four official matches at senior level, with the Super Eagles winning three of the games. Following the victory in Garoua, the Wild Dogs shocked the Super Eagles by a lone goal in a 2023 AFCON qualifying match played at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on March 24, 2023. A few days later, Nigeria won by the same margin in Bissau with Moses Simon scoring from the penalty spot.
At the AFCON finals in Cote d’Ivoire the following year, the Super Eagles pipped the Wild Dogs by a lone goal at the Felix Houphouët-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
The Confederation of African Football has appointed match referees from Ethiopia to take charge of Tuesday’s encounter, which will commence at 4pm Guinea Bissau time (5pm in Nigeria).
Tewodros Mitiku will be the match referee, with his compatriots Fasika Biru Fasika, Tigle Belachew and Manuhe Woldetsadik in the roles of first assistant, second assistant and fourth official.
Senegalese official Yaya Balde will serve as the commissioner, while former FIFA referee Papa Bakary Gassama from The Gambia will be the referee assessor.
Photo: Super Eagles on arrival in Bissau on Sunday
