Eaglets play Enyimba and Dolphins

Assistant coach to the Golden Eaglets, Monday Odigie, has revealed that the team will be engaged in a couple of friendly matches, beginning today, while concluding preparations towards their training tour to Germany.

It will be recalled that the supposed trip to Europe was dealt a severe blow when only 16 out of the 30 players were issued visas almost two weeks ago, thereby causing a further delay in the plans of a team that is already enmeshed in a series of controversies.

Whiling away time

“We are going to play two games in Aba and Port-Harcourt that is with Enyimba and Dolphins. We will play Enyimba today (Wednesday) and Dolphins on Thursday. Both teams are strong teams in Nigeria so I think it is good to play them now that we are still in the country.

It is all in line with preparations so I don’t think anything is wrong with that,” he said.

Hoping against all odds

Odigie who also doubles as assistant coach of Bayelsa United strongly denied that the team was abandoned by the Nigeria Football Federation and disclosed that the visas of the remaining members of the team have been collected and hopes that the much elusive trip can be made this weekend.

He said: “It is not true that we were abandoned like people are saying; all we need is for the modalities to be set in place. I know people would have expected that the team would have jetted out by now but this is not our own making; these things lie with the federation.

We are just to be prepared like the boys scouts but we are hoping that by the weekend, the team might be able to travel.

“I don’t know the teams we will be playing since these arrangements are with the federation but the essence is to see if the Eaglets can stand their ground against other teams which is what we are going to be doing when the championship starts so there is still enough time to play friendly matches.”