Nigeria aim high at AFCON 2019

Nigerian Football Federation, NFF, president Amaju Pinnick says the Super Eagles must make a “meaningful impact” at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria have failed to qualify for the last two editions of the AFCON, having won the continental tournament in 2013.

Gernot Rohr’s side will resume their qualification campaign for the 2019 finals in Cameroon with a match away to Seychelles next month.

The German manager is expected to unveil his squad for the September 8 match on Friday. Nigeria lost their opening Group E match 2-0 at home to South Africa in June last year.

Yet even if Nigeria do go on to qualify for the AFCON – as is expected – they will not be under pressure to win at all costs, with Pinnick explaining that they are putting their focus on building for the future.

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“Our vision, as we have espoused from day one, is to build a sustainable football culture for our dear nation. To do that, youth development is key,” said the NFF president.

“That is what we are trying to do with the U-15 squad which recently reached the final of the African Youth Games in Algeria, and which will form the bulk of the next U-17 team.

“We will approach the matches’ one game at a time. Our objective is not only to qualify for the finals, but for the Super Eagles to also make a meaningful impact at the finals in Cameroon in the summer of next year.”

Meanwhile, the Super Eagles is set to open its training camp on September 1, 2018 ahead of the 2019 AFCON qualifier in Seychelles.

Seychelles host the Super Eagles on the 8th of September in the 2nd match of the 2019 AFCON qualifiers which is billed to be held in Cameroon and the Technical Adviser of the Super Eagles, Coach Rohr will announce his squad for the match next week.

It will be the first match for the national team since they crashed out in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia in June and the team will be set to jet out from Abuja to Seychelles for the game.

Both Nigeria and Seychelles are still without any points after they both lost their opening qualifying matches against South Africa and Libya by 2-0 and 5-1 score line respectively and would be looking to make up for lost ground as only the two top teams qualify to the main event scheduled for Cameroun.

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Musa Muhammed, Ola Aina, Kelechi Nwakali these three players are close to be invited.

Nwakali might get his first super Eagles call up ever under Rohr, While Musa Muhammed looks set to be recalled to super Eagles camp due to injury of both Tyrone Ebueyi and Shehu Abdullahi.