Nigeria Interim Coach, Stephen Keshi has given approval for the use of the Abuja facility for the qualifying crucial rounds of Super Eagles tie against Sudan.  

Keshi, who was accompanied by the Minister and Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Tammy Danagogo to inspect the now rehabilitated stadium said “it is in good condition to host any international game” and would serve well as alternative to the UJ Esuene stadium.

He added that “We have been discussing with the Minister on the possibility of playing our match against Sudan here in case the Calabar stadium is not ready although it is a place we will always like to play. But right now we are having some issues with the pitch, so if it is not going well there, we can then move to Abuja and play.

“I am also satisfied with the state of the pitch now, we have practiced and played here and it was very sandy and that was not very good for free flow of football but with what I have seen here, it is a lot more encouraging.”

Keshi also allayed fears that Nigeria may not qualify for the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, and assured Nigerians that the Eagles would be in the Maghreb to defend its title despite the poor start to qualifiers.

Keshi urge Nigerian fans to always support the team no matter the difficult situation.

“I am not saying that we should pamper the players but it is better for all of us to support the team no matter the situation because that is the only national team we have whether we like it or not."