Amapakabo rues absence of invited foreign based players

The Head coach of the national under-23 male football team, Imama Amapakabo has admitted the absence of invited foreign-based players could hamper preparations for the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Speaking with newsmen after the team’s training session in Abuja, the coach is optimistic that more players would soon be joining the camp.

“Right now, we have in camp with us one (Kelechi Nwakali) out of the three foreign-based players invited and we are hopefully expecting the others to arrive at the camp within the next few days.

“But their early arrival will enable us to get a clearer picture of our preparations for the competition,’’ he said.

He is however certain of having the country’s foreign-based stars who are eligible for the Olympics qualifying competition released by their clubs.

“Part of my responsibility is to find a way around any obstacle or challenge faced by the team.

“It is the big picture going forward, to try to put this team together in preparation for the big stage, because we knew that it was going to be a challenge for us to have some of these players.

“We are going to be having the FIFA windows and some of the clubs just want to release their players for just those open windows which is not going to be right for us.

“This is because the players in question will only be available to play, maybe two games and that will be it. But we are trying to put in place a contingency plan.

“However, getting these players together to play as a unit and as a team can be a bit challenging sometimes, and it is my responsibility to find a way around the obstacle in front of me and I will try my best as much as possible to do so,’’ the coach said.

Nigeria will open their campaign against Cote d’Ivoire on Nov. 9 in Cairo, before taking on Zambia on Nov. 12 and South Africa on Nov. 15.