FIFA have approved Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos and six other stadiums for Nigeria’s home games in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, reports Completesports.com.
The Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja which is currently under renovation, Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo and Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba were also approved by the world soccer governing body.
Three other stadiums; Nnamdi Azikwe Stadium, Enugu, Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City and the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt also got FIFA’s nod to host Super Eagles’ home games.
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The Super Eagles played their last home game against the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos.
Before then, they hosted Sierra Leone at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City.
Two of their group opponents, Liberia and Central African Republic will have to look for alternative venues outside their countries after FIFA failed to approve their home stadiums.
The Super Eagles will host Liberia in their first game in the qualifiers in June.
22 Comments
Please do not underestimate Cape Verde or the other 2 teams. World cup qualifiers carry a different type of motivation and upset…… I still have vivid memories of how Angola kicked us to the curb for the 2006 worldcup. Very painful miss.
you are very correct ,unlike some people in cerbereagles or others ,
@ football fanatic, The Angola debacle was painful but it was a self inflicted by nfa and our own players. Angolans simply sized the opportunity and the rest is history.
It is now the more difficult as group winners will have to slug it out in a knock-out.
“…Two of their group opponents, Liberia and Central African Republic will have to look for alternative venues outside their countries after FIFA failed to approve their home stadiums…”
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You see why FIFA is FIFA and CAF is CAF….?! Lolz.
To think both teams still used the same now-banned stadia in prosecuting their AFCON qualifiers makes CAF more of a joke of an organization. Im very sure that millet farm in Freetown too must have been in this elite list of banned stadia for the 2022 WCQ if S/L were to be in the mix.
Kudos to FIFA.
Fifa is an organization with quality, CAF is a political kangaroo mushroom association that only thinks of how to syphon money, especially with that chicken brain former president Ahmad Ahmad.
Imagine such sirrea lone stadium getting approval to host an international game? Honestly my secondary school football field was better off. But wait oo, thought George Weah is the current librarian president? Why can’t he build at least one world class stadium for his country? Judging from his antecedent in the game. No one wonder his own son choosed to play for US instead.
@Ola thank you for the George Weah example. Can you imagine?? At the end of the day his son chooses to play for the US instead of Liberia. At least he’s been president for about 2 years now and his priority is not to build a world class stadium for his country???? After playing in France, Italy and England at some of the most beautiful stadiums in world football yet FIFA could not approve a stadium in Liberia to host a WorldCup qualifier??? That’s a big shame on George Opong Weah. You see that’s the mentality we possess as Africans unfortunately I’m sorry to say.
Everyone are just deceiving themselves that they will do this, they will do that, but in reality all man na for himself when it comes to power. They will firstly settle their own families before ever thinking about the masses. So that they can flaunt their wealth in the faces of the masses of their homeland. That’s why sometimes I don’t really read any meaning to any of our ex internationals comments about the state of the current SuperEagles because it is glaring to see that everyone is either agents or political appointees trying to force their way on the gaffer for their favorite players. Unfortunately for them this coach already have the backing of the government to raise a formidable team for Nigeria.
And it is right in our own very eyes that we can now be arguing about the kind of strikers that should be called up since we’re spoilt for choice at almost every department. Now everyone is expecting the SuperEagles to capture the AFCON in Cameroon and I’m very optimistic about that. However, the WorldCup qualifiers starting next month needs immediate urgency. The gaffer should not let wannabes spoil his focus. #FLY LIKE AN EAGLE INTO THE FUTURE#.
Most of you here said ogbe stadium is not good stephen keshi stadium is not good enough and teslim balogun is not good (claiming that is our reason we drew matches there and some said that’s why aribo is not performing in africa) rubbish talk, I wonder how a field supposed to be like maybe them for plant olive trees put to make it fifa standard, as if aribo didn’t play in uyo the only fifa approved pitch according to some fake football experts here. There is nothing the country does that pleases them always criticaly blinded by the European things.
I said it not too long that we ha 7 fifa standard fields they said I am been sentimental bcoz I am from Benin, the only time I play sentiment is when I am joking, when we are serious I don’t call white, a black colour, when our tactics goes wrong instead of us to honestly blame the coach and the team they will start attacking lands by calling it cursed, they will say the pitches are bad, some will even blame nff and Nigeria top official’s, now that FIFA have finally proven all the bad belle wrong they are na looking for caf, those that haven’t visited any worldclass stadium will seat and be judging What the nation presents even when it’s too good to be faulted they will still found fault, clowns in the name of fans. Nigeria is good to host the nest afcon, six approved stadium is something worth to be proud about.
it shows how un-exposed you are in football….how can you see those pitch and say there’s nothing wrong with them/you think they are world class…it shows you know nothing. Mr man you need to travel out and see things outside Africa…how can a grown man spew all these thrash
Collins Id tell yourself the truth, can u compare any stadia in Nigeria with what u see everyday in d epl or laliga? all the stadia in Nigeria are sub standard take it from me,u never never play free flowing football in Nigeria, only uyo can be managed. benin stadia is total rubbish.
The problem with Benin is the pitch size. It’s so small that a team can plan to only park the bus but still yet have many easy chances in the counter.
Hahahaha….pls help us ask him again…..LMAO. I was hoping to read somewhere in his crap where he will say our pitches are as good as the ones we see on TV in Europe…..LMAO. The ignoramus does not know that stadia assessments have grades and most of ours barely scrape “minimum acceptable” standards for approval…..LMAO.
Leave am make e dey recite in poem dey go…..help us tell am say if e sure for am make in go slide for ogbe stadium pitch with in chest since FIFA don approve am….LMAO. Hopefully he should be alive to tell the stories…LMAO. Na just fall wey Osimhen fall for that hard pitch for ogbe wey he dislocate in whole shoulder join in scapula. Lolz
Slide for Ogbe stadium pitch with chest? Lmaooo, I wouldn’t wish that on my enemy. The chest go peel reach bone. His ribs will be visible by the time he’s done. Hahahahaha, this is too funny!
Heheheehe….shebi as FIFA don approve am….e don become as good as the ones wey we dey see for other parts of the world but “…critically blinded by the European things…”.
Na him sabi see road clearly pass the rest of us. Naim dey patriotic pass….LMAO.
You dey live for upstairs nor mean say you near God pass who live for bungalow. Make in go slide on top the ogbe pitch na, the way Mahrez slide tonight so (wen e dey celebrate in goal) wey in skin nor peel….make we see wether Ogbe pitch and European pitches (wia our boys dem dey perform) don be mate sake of say FIFA approve am…..LMAO.
I’m not exaggerating, only Uyo, Aba and Abuja (when the stadium was newly commissioned) pitches come close to what most colleges and universities in 1st world countries have as training pitches…..not to even talk of their national stadia where their national teams play.
That guy even told me that l am not an Edoman all because l questioned the sub-standard stadium in Ogbe. If Steve Keshi was around, he will not be afraid to say that the Ogbe stadium is sub-standard just as he told them that Abuja stadium wasn’t good enough for Nigeria. Call a spade, a spade and not a digging spoon.
Collins ID, you are a good man. But you dey fall my hand sometimes. You want to tell me with a straight face that Ogbe stadium was in good shape when it was last used to host our international match? Come on, Collins. You are from Benin does not mean you should not speak the truth. Even Edoman acknowledges the truth. Why not you?
As Edoman said, let’s call a spade a spade. I am Yoruba, and if a Yoruba town had hosted our SE in a stadium as bad as Ogbe stadium was, I would have condemned it vigorously. Give me a good stadium anywhere in Nigeria, and I’m happy. I don’t give a damn where it is. If a world class stadium is built in Sambisa forest, as long as we can guarantee the security of the team and fans, I’m all for playing our matches there.
It is my sincere hope that the needful will be done to restore Ogbe stadium to world class status. The people of Benin in particular and Nigerians in general will be happy to see this come to pass.
The second round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers which will see the Super Eagles welcome Liberia to Lagos next month may be postponed till September over the lack of standard stadiums across the continent.
This last minute postponement, four weeks before the start of the qualifying tournament, has been caused by the absence of stadiums approved by FIFA in 22 of the 54 member countries of the Confederation.
Among these countries, Senegal, 2019 AFCON finalists, Mali or Burkina Faso, for example, could not play their matches at home during these first two rounds of the qualifiers if they were played in June.
According to AFP, CAF now plan to postpone the first two rounds of the qualifiers from June to September because many stadiums are not approved. This information is from sources inside several Federations.
“The CAF emergency committee took this decision on Monday, we are awaiting it to be upheld by the executive committee” on May 15, explained a federation president.
CAF have yet to confirm or deny this.
(c) scorenigeria.com.ng/super-eagles-world-cup-qualifiers-to-be-postponed-over-stadiums/
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Una dey see yeye confederation….??? Most of these stadia where used for the AFCON qualifiers wey just finish last week o. Some of them are still being used for CAFCL and CAFCL games at the moment. But an organized body like FIFA that knows the value and importance of a good football pitch is to the game of football are rising to the occasion.
CAF is plain useless. Tell them Dr. Drey said so.
To maintain common soccer pitch still be problem for Africa. Oh….Africa my Africa…! And some ignoramuses will open mouth wide in year 2021 and say the whiteman/west is the problem of Africa…LMAO. Na dem say make una nor fit plant beta carpet grass, water am from January to December in year 2021….LMAO. Shame….!
Dr drey, u are the biggest ingnoramus here, osihmen fell on his shoulder and got injured how does that have to do with the pitch, u are really sick in ur head, ogbe stadium is a world standard and FIFA approved it regardless of ur craps,
I didn’t say our pitches are best in the world, what I said is that the pitches are playable and cannot be a reason for any team to lose a match,
What I noticed in ogbe stadium pitch is that the grass was a bit over grown when eagles played,(mumu, the issue of sliding and peeling chest is totally ruled out in over grown field) however the super eagles trained there and didn’t complain, it wouldn’t take two hours for a gardner to reduce the level if it was that bad, I think the eagles where ok with the pitch, looking at that match I still can’t see where the field becomes the problem, iwobi and chukwuez scored their best goals in eagles stadium on that pitch, osihmen scored two, even serrielone took advantage of a fifa standard pitch of ogbe by scoring four goals, their highest goal record, coming to blame a field for a 4 4 draw is frustration. Ogbe pitch is too small as how? Then why did fifa approved it? Fifa have a minimal and maximum size for pitches and ogbe stadium is within the measurements so let’s be serious here,
What I noticed in stephen keshi stadium, when the eagles played is that the grass have not fully grown, make it turf on foot, considering the strong africa soil, but still very playable, it is very similar to some of the field South Africa presented in afcon 2013, I don’t have any negative comment on teslim balogun pitch, for me it was superb, nigeria don’t have the best pitches, I agree, but the once we have presented so far a good fields and Worth to be proud about, they can never be reason for any good team to loose the a match (sychelys and egypt didn’t blame asaba field when they lost to us there, they where fair enough to give eagles the kudos well deserved) nevertheless I believe we can do better on our pitches there is room for improvement.
For the guy who said I need to travel out to see pitches in europe, don’t worry I will post out some European world class field here for you to see.
Hahahahaha….ngwa go slide on top am with your chest na…LMAO…..go slide on top am as FIFA don approve am, if your kidney nor go peel join your liver…..LMAO.
“…critically blinded by the European things…”….yen yen yen
yen yen…..Na you see road pass the rest of us….LMAO. Buffooon…!!!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj9KD-kjLMY
If you think you can beat the Europeans in that so called worse pitches u are deceiving ur self, the fact that you drive lexus doesn’t mean you don’t know how to drive danfo if it’s the only option, good footballers are always prepared for defferent kind of situation, the hot sun in china didn’t stop the argentina from winning the eagles in olympic final despite we are supposed to be more familiar with the sun. When the level is equal for both sides no room for excuses that is the law of man to man, some of the 1994 eagles players including okocha, where invited to an indoor soccer turneo featuring ayegbeni while other countries presented their old remix team, the Italian team where still able to defeat our bross them, and our bross still bit their usual wife I think china in that same tournament so no room for excuses who sabi don sabi
Really glad that Africsn countries who play football on pitches like cassava farms are getting punished by FIFA.
I congratulate FIFA for being steadfast and for dropping heavy clubs on the heads of these shameful FAs in Africa. I have been campaigning that home games of countries that have deliberately refused to develop standard stadiums should be held outside those countries. CAF thought my suggestion was a joke. I’ve been vindicated as FIFA has done the very thing suggested.
If CAF had done the right thing in our last AFCON qualifier, the SE wouldn’t have drawn the game played on that millet farm in Freetown.
CAF should take a cue from FIFA and be bold to do the right thing.