CHAN: Amapakabo To Lead Eagles To Lome Friday

Joel Ajayi

Imama Amapakabo, head coach of the U23 National Team, will lead the Home-based Super Eagles, known as Eagles B, to Lome on Friday for the first leg of a 2020 African Nations Championship qualifying fixture against the Sparrow Hawks coming up on Sunday.

As a way of preparing the U23 boys for the 3^rd U23 AFCON finals holding in Egypt 8^th – 22^nd November (for which the team qualified after defeating Libya and Sudan in qualifiers), the Nigeria Football Federation has decided that the U23 squad, without the overseas –based professionals but with a number of home –based Trojans added, prosecute the CHAN qualifying fixture.

Amapakabo’s charges have another ample pre-AFCON preparatory platform awaiting at the 2^nd WAFU Cup of Nations, holding in Thies, Senegal as from 28^thSeptember.

The Federation Togolese de Football (FTF) has scheduled Sunday’s encounter for the Stade de Kegue in the country’s capital city, starting from 4pm.

Also, the Confederation of African Football has selected officials from Benin Republic to superintend the match, with Adissa Abdou Raphiou Ligali as the referee.

His compatriots Eric Ayimavo Ayamr Ulrich, Kodjori Sylvain Ogoudedji and Seraphin Sourou Adounsi Sourou will serve as assistant referee 1, assistant referee 2 and fourth official respectively.

Mr. Frederick Eric Crentsil from Ghana will be the match commissioner.

Nigeria finished as runners-up of the last edition of the African Nations Championship held in Morocco early last year, having also picked up the bronze medals in South Africa in 2014.

Cameroon will host the 6^thAfrican Nations Championship in June 2020.