Nigeria raises stadium concerns

NIGERIA has raised concerns about the state of the Kigali Regional Stadium, the venue for Wednesday’s 2013 Africa Nations Cup first leg qualifier.After inspecting the stadium, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) led by Chris Green and Dr. Emmanuel Ikpeme, expressed concerns over security for the players.NFF insist that security for the players cannot be guaranteed not only because the stadium is small but also because the perimeter fence is short and therefore cannot stop invasion of the pitch by the fans. The team, who also inspected a number of hotels, were however happy with the playing surface.“The astro turf pitch is all right and we believe the Super Eagles will enjoy playing on it,” one of the officials added.Ferwafa’s Chief Executive Officer Michel Gasingwa doesn’t buy the claims. “Those are very strange remarks because the stadium has hosted a number of high profile continental matches,” he promised.After Wednesday’s first leg, Rwanda and Nigeria will meet again in June for the return leg.The winner on aggregate will proceed to the final round of qualifiers, against one of the teams that played in the just-concluded 2012 African Cup of Nations. The final round of qualifiers will take place between September and October to determine the teams that will play at next year’s African Cup of Nations in South Africa.South African referee Daniel Bennett who took charge of the 2012 Cup of Nations semi final clash between Zambia and Ghana, will be the centre referee.

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Nigeria raises stadium concerns