Super Eagles to now face Algeria and Tunisia in October friendlies as Cote d'Ivoire opt out
Côte d’Ivoire say they can't send their players to Austria for the game.
There has been a little tweak to Super Eagles October 2020 plans as African champions Algeria have now replaced Côte d’Ivoire as an opponent for a friendly game.
Nigeria were supposed to face Côte d’Ivoire on Friday, October 9 in a friendly game in Austria but that fixture has now been cancelled due to The Federation Ivoirienne de Football’s inability to send a team to Austria for the game as earlier agreed.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in a statement said the Ivorian FA cited ‘internal problems’ for their inability to be available for the friendly game.
In the place of that friendly game, NFF boss Amaju Pinnick and his Algerian counterpart Kheireddine Zetchi quickly agreed for a friendly game on the same October 9.
“We have permission from our government to travel from Algeria to Austria and our country has reopened international flights. We also would like to confirm that FIFA match agent Me Jairo Pachon is authorised to carry on all the required work and planning in Austria in order to stage this event,” Mohamed Saad, General Secretary of the Federation Algerienne de Football said in a letter to the NFF.
The meeting next month will be the fourth between the Super Eagles and the Fennecs in three years. Both teams clashed in the group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers with Nigeria winning their home game 3-1 in November 2016.
The return leg a year later ended 1-1 in Constantine but Algeria were later awarded a 3-0 win as Nigeria fielded an ineligible player.
At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt, Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez scored a late goal to seal a 2-1 win over Nigeria to reach the final which they also won to lift the title.
Nigeria's other scheduled friendly game for October 2020 against Tunisia will still go on.
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