Vincent Enyeama will win his 100th cap when Nigeria host Uganda in an
international friendly on Wednesday, although confusion has surrounded
the build-up to the milestone.
The Lille goalkeeper
has been a regular between the sticks for Nigeria since making his debut
at the 2002 World Cup, but some question whether he has racked up the
99 caps the country's football
federation (NFF) claims he has.
The
NFF re-affirmed its stance last week amid media claims Enyeama was
actually two caps short of his 100th - a mark only previously surpassed
by Joseph Yobo.
Conveniently, the fixture will take
place in Enyeama's home state of Akwa Ibom, but the encounter was thrown
into doubt as recently as last week, when original opponents Bolivia
withdrew.
The Bolivian Football Federation (FBF)
announced the clash was off citing safety concerns and the "tense
political situation in Nigeria".
The NFF responded by saying: "Bolivia chickened out at the eleventh hour despite signing a contract."
Nevertheless,
Nigeria's focus will now be on improving their record against Uganda,
having won two and lost three of the previous six meetings between the
sides.
Uganda won the last encounter 2-1 in 2008 and
will have a point to prove after failing to qualify for the 2015 Africa
Cup of Nations.
Nigeria also missed out on
qualification for that tournament, surrendering their title in the
process, but picked up a 2-0 victory over Yemen with an under-strength
side in January.
Following Wednesday's clash, Nigeria visit South Africa for a friendly on Sunday.
No comments:
Post a Comment