Nigeria friendly with Burkina Faso cancelled after several players not allowed visas into the UK
NIGERIA’S friendly with Burkina Faso in London on Monday has been cancelled after a number of the Burkina Faso players were not allowed to enter the UK.
The Nigeria Football Federation have announced that “seven players in the Burkinabe contingent failed to secure entry visas into the United Kingdom”.
Several members of the Burkina Faso team were not allowed visas into the UKGetty Images
Scheduled to be at Barnet’s home ground The Hive, the game was meant to be part of Nigeria’s build-up for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa in June and the World Cup qualifier against Cameroon later this year.
But due to the sizeable Nigerian population in London, and a host of the Super Eagles’ first team being based in England, the game was arranged to be here.
The Hive was meant to host the match on Monday, but it has been cancelledGetty Images
As there is no British embassy in the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, they had to get visas from the embassy in Morocco, where they played last week.
But the applications were still pending at the British Embassy in Morocco as at close of work on Friday, the last working day before match day in London – meaning they could not enter.
Barnet’s home ground was the surprise choice to host two Nigeria friendliesGetty Images
NFF official Chris Green said: “The match in question is called off due to no fault of either the organisers or the Nigeria Football Federation.
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“We will announce further plans for the Super Eagles’ preparation for these two important qualifying campaigns in due course.
The NFF say they are “extremely disappointed” the match on Monday has been called off but insist that the “objectives of satisfying the technical team’s desire of squaring up against tough, physical African opposition and fostering team bonding and organisation were achieved”.
Nigeria’s Kelechi Iheanacho celebrates scoring their first goal in their match against Senegal last weekReuters
This is due to a match that was played on Thursday night, a 1-1 draw also at the Hive with Senegal, where Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho’s late penalty cancelled out Moussa Sow’s opener.
Three-time African champions Nigeria have failed to qualify for the last Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
There was a jubilant pitch invasion at the end of the friendly last week – but there will be no repeat on MondayGetty Images
But under new manager Gernot Rohr, the Super Eagles got off to a flying start in their 2018 World Cup qualifiers, recording a 2-1 win in Zambia and a 3-1 victory at home to Algeria.
Nigeria’s six points leaves them with an early four-point lead in their 2018 World Cup qualifying group ahead of Cameroon and Zambia.
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