Former skipper of Nigeria’s Sand Eagles, Isiaka Olawale, has expressed concerns that the team is not ready to compete for a spot in the 2024 Beach Soccer African Cup of Nations.
After several years of absence, the team was reinstated by the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau. However, the Nigerian side is now set to face Mauritania in the qualifiers, and Olawale believes the team is unprepared.
“It’s going to affect us because it’s been over three years now,” Olawale stated via Brila FM. “The time factor is very short.”
“Most of the players, maybe those selected for this particular competition, are new to the game. I think almost 70 to 80 percent are new players.”
“The most important thing is that if they can put the house together and the boys can assemble themselves for at least one month before the competition, or even three weeks, I think it will be okay,” he concluded.