Ghana will host the first leg of the double-header on March 25, while the return leg will come up 4 days later at the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja
By Kehinde Okeowo
The football governing body in Nigeria, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has demanded that the first leg of the double-header against Ghana for a place at the 2022 Qatar World Cup be moved to a neutral venue.
The Ghanaians are expected to host the first leg of the encounter in less than 10 days, but Nigeria has officially written to FIFA to have the world cup qualifiers moved from Ghana to the neighboring Benin Republic.
Nigeria’s request is hinged on the assertion that the Cape Coast Stadium, which Ghana picked for the clash, is not in good shape for the World Cup qualifier.
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The West African country’s independence day celebration was held at the stadium recently, and Ghana Football Association(GFA) has requested that the game be moved to the stadium in Kumasi from FIFA.
FIFA, however, declined the proposal for a change of venue because it did not fall within the stimulated period such a demand could be made.
According to OwnGoalNigeria.com, a source at NFF confirmed that the Nigerian football house applied to FIFA for the change of venue following a report on the state of the pitch by an advanced team of the federation.
“We have sent out findings to FIFA and we also applied for a possible change of venue to Benin Republic which isn’t far from both countries and has a pitch good enough for a game of this magnitude. We are awaiting a response”, the source said.
The return leg of the encounter is expected to take place at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja, four days after the first leg in Ghana.
