22nd May, 2013
Head coach of Nigeria’s beach soccer team, Audu Adamu, is confident that Nigeria will qualify for the Beach Soccer World Cup to be held in Tahiti in September.
The Supersand Eagles arrived Morocco on Sunday with a 12-man team to begin preparations to secure one of the two tickets available for Africa for the biennial Beach Soccer World Cup.
The Nigerian team are packed with beach soccer stars that include team captain and Dolphins FC midfielder, Isiaka Olawale, Ogbonnaya Okemmiri and at last year’s Copa Lagos Beach tourney, Victor Tale.
Speaking from the team’s hotel in Morocco on BrilaFM on Tuesday, coach Adamu, popularly called ‘Ejo’ by his fans, said the players are not only ready to qualify the country for the championship but also raring to go all the way to Tahiti and bring the elusive world cup to Nigeria.
“We arrived safely and we’re really set for the stiff challenges ahead,” Adamu said.
“The team knows what is at stake and we are going to make sure we do our best to make the nation proud, by not only qualifying but also bringing the cup from Tahiti.”
After representing Africa at the world stage on numerous occasions, Nigeria have become a powerhouse in beach soccer on the continent.
Senegal are the reigning African beach soccer champions, after seeing off Nigeria in the final of the 2011 edition held in Morocco.
—Bamidele Olowosagba