Futsal Eagles Shape Up For Gabon As Oyekale Harps On Discipline, Dedication

The camp of the Futsal National Team has been in full swing in Lagos with Head Coach, Oladunni Oyekale emphasizing that discipline, dedication, commitment and patriotic fervour are the key words as the
team gets set to face Gabon in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday.

Oyekale has been working with 26 players since Sunday at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos and the response has been encouraging from players selected from mainly four clubs, viz
Sholly Babes FC of Lagos, Mac Jeff FC of Port Harcourt and Enugu clubs, Inter FC and Pensioners FC.

“Futsal football has to do with not only skills but full concentration, energy and stamina. It feeds on endurance levels. I have seen the players in a number of training sessions and I believe we will get a good team to play Gabon.

“The screening will be a continuous exercise since we don’t have a Futsal League and we just have to continue to try more players who show prospect. The important thing is to be able to raise a team that
will do Nigeria proud”, said Oyekale after morning training session on Tuesday.

The team has been training twice daily as countdown begins to the World Cup qualifier, which will come up on Sunday inside the indoor hall of the National Institute for Sports, National Stadium.

A final list of 12 players will emerge on Thursday in order for Coach Oyekale and his assistant, Michael Cookey to be able to concentrate on the squad that will face the Gabonese.

Thirteen African teams are taking part in the African qualifiers for the FIFA Futsal World Cup finals, with three of them proceeding to the finals in Thailand in November.

Victory over two legs against Gabon will make Nigeria eligible for the final round of qualifiers, against the winner of the fixture, Tunisia Vs Egypt.

Nigeria drew a bye into this stage but Gabon qualified following the withdrawal of Guinea.