UMQEQESHI omusha weNigeria, uFinidi George, uzishaya isifuba ngolwazi athi yena nethimba lakhe sebeluqoqile ngeBafana Bafana abazobhekana nayo kowokuhlungela iNdebe yoMhlaba ezosingathwa i-United States of America (USA), Mexico neCanada ngokwahlukana ngo-2026.
AmaSuper Eagles azokwamukela izimbangi zawo ezingafihliwe iBafana emdlalweni ka-Group C weyokuhlungela iNdebe yoMhlaba ngoJuni 7, eGodswill Akpabio Stadium, e-Uyo.
INigeria esendaweni yesithathu kulo-log ngamaphuzu amabili kulandela ukudlala ngokulingana kweyayo yokuqala (emibili), izokwamukela iBafana (esendaweni yesibili) ngamaphuzu amathathu okuyiwini eyodwa nenduku komunye.
UGeorge obesebenza njengephini likaJose Peseiro, wasePortugal, ngesikhathi la mazwe egcina ukuhlangana kwi-Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) ebise-Ivory Coast ngoFebhuwari, uzwakalise ukuba nolwazi olwanele ngokuthi ibuthaka ngakuphi nokuthi iqine ngakuphi iBafana kaHugo Broos, odabuka kwelaseBelgium.
Kudingeke amaphenathi ngesikhathi la mazwe egcina ukuhlangana kowandulela owamanqamu kwi-Afcon osekungumlando ukuthi kudlule amaSuper Eagles umdlalo kade uphele kungu 1-1.
UBroos uzosinqamula ngoLwesine isikwati sakhe azoya ngaso kulo mdlalo weNigeria aphinde amukele ngaso iZimbabwe komunye kaGroup C ozokuba seBloemfontein ngoJuni 11 .
INigeria Football Federation (NFF) inike uGeorge imidlalo emibili yokungcweka ngaphambi kokwamukela iBafana.
Kowokuqala wobungani unqobe kwiGhana ngo 2-1 ngaphambi kokuguqiswa iMali ngo 2-0 kowesibili.
Esithangamini nabezindaba ebesihlelwe i-NFF muva nje, uGeorge ukhombise izimpawu zokungayinqeni iBafana kwazise ugabe ngolwazi aluchaze njengolunzulu.
“Kungumsebenzi wami ukufunda konke okufanele ngikwazi ngesitha esisuke sizobhekana naso kodwa ulwazi oluqukethwe iselula yami ngeBafana lwanele,” kusho uGeoge kwabeNFF.
“Kuyathusa osekwenziwe ithimba elicubungula konke okufanele sikwazi ngeBafana. Ubuthaka nokuthi baqine ngakuphi abadlali beBafana sesibazi ukusuka nokuhlala ngenxa yobuchopho obusetshenziswe izingxenye ezahlukene zethimba labaqeqeshi.
“Siyazi ukuthi abantu baseNigeria balindeleni kithina kule mdlalo emibili ezayo kodwa okumqoka ukugxila ngokuphelele kwiBafana bese siqala ukuzixaka ngolandelayo uma sesiqedile,” kuphetha uGeorge.
Amanye amaqembu akuGroup C, iRwanda ezihola phambili ngamaphuzu amane emidlalweni emibili, kube iLesotho neBenin. Iqembu elizoqeda eyokuhlunga liqhwakele (emaqoqweni ayisishiyagalolunye) liyobe selizibekisele indawo eNdebeni yoMhlaba. Amanye azoqeda endaweni yesibili ngamaphuzu angcono, azolelwa ukukhipha izwe elizomela i-Afrika emqhudelwaneni ohlanganise amazwe aqhamuka kwezinye izinhlangano zamazwekazi zebhola, ukulwela izindawo ezimbili ezisele.
Isikwati seNigeria:
Onozinti: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa); Maduka Okoye (Udinese FC, Italy); Ojo Olorunleke (Enyimba FC).
Emuva: Chidozie Awaziem (Boavista FC, Portugal); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce FC, Turkey); Sadiq Ismael (Remo Stars FC); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (West Bromwich Albion, England); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Benjamin Tanimu (Ihefu SC, Tanzania).
Esiswini: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi (Royal Antwerp FC, Belgium); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England); Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Hatayspor, Turkey).
Abagadli: Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Victor Osimhen (SSC Napoli, Italy); Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City, England); Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Paul Onuachu (Trabzonspor FC, Turkey); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Terem Moffi (OGC Nice, France).