Nigeria is in the danger of starting its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign on a bizarre note, after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), revealed it cannot afford the logistics to Zambia.
The Super Eagles are billed to take on the Chipolopolo in Ndola on October 9, in their first game of the series .
With Nigeria in the midst of a recession, the NFF is now looking for a sponsor to offset the $270,000 fee, to charter a plane to Ndola, Zambia for the match.
“As we speak, we don’t have any kobo (a denomination of Nigeria’s naira currency) in our purse,” an unnamed member of the NFF told The Guardian.
“The charges for the Airline alone is $200,000 for a 140-seater plane, and it will be on ground with the team for two days.
“We need between $6,000 and $10,000 for flight ticket(s) to bring in the players (from Europe).”
The NFF member also said that the only way forward was if the Nigerian government could give them stronger support.
“The federal government still has to play its part, because this is the beginning of our campaign for the 2018 World Cup qualifying ticket. If we must get it right, every hand must be on deck,” he told The Guardian.
New Technical Adviser of the Eagles, Gernot Rohr, has already named his 23-man squad for the clash.
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