Olympic Soccer stars called to join senior national team

Published on 17 September 2008 at 12:04

Reading time 1 min.

With the World cup qualifier against Sierra Leone coming up, Nigerian Head Coach Shaibu Amodu has invited five stars from the Olympic soccer team that won silver in Beijing.

Out of the five players invited, Onyekachi, Kaita, Nsofor and Obasi have previously been part of the National senior team before; only Adeleye will be having his first experience.

Nigeria has already qualified for the next stage of the 2010 World/Nations Cup qualifiers and this is a probable reason why Shaibu Amodu has decided to give a run to the Olympic silver medallists.

Amodu called up twenty players including the captain, Nwankwo Kanu and his deputy, Joseph Yobo. Also on his list are Everton ace Yakubu Aiyegbeni, and Spain-based striker Ikechukwu Uche, who is Nigeria’s leading scorer in the qualifying series with three goals.

The players are due to report at the NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja on Monday, October 6. The Full Team: Goalkeepers: Bamidele Aiyenugba, Austin Ejide. Defenders: Joseph Yobo, Danny Shittu, Apam Onyekachi, Taye Taiwo, Ayodele Adeleye, Chidi Odiah. Midfielders: Christian Obodo, Mikel Obi, Kalu Uche, Yusuf Ayila, Sani Kaita. Forwards: Osaze Odemwingie, Nwankwo Kanu, Obinna Nsofor, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Chinedu Obasi, Ikechukwu Uche, Joseph Akpala

2010 World Cup South Africa's preparation to host the games on African soil for the first time but also individual African countries' determination to take part in the historic event. Five African countries - Cameroon, Nigeria, Algeria, South Africa and Ghana - are selected to join twenty seven teams from around the world to battle it out on the football pitch for the gold trophy. One by one, the African teams are eliminated, but Africans will not be bogged down as they rally behind their compatriots on the wings of the vuvuzela, a far cry from the near diplomatic row between Algeria and Egypt during the qualifiers. Ghana are the last team to leave but not before African unity becomes reality...