FIFA Window: Nigeria plays Ghana in London on March 29

NIGERIA'S Super Eagles were meant to hit London next in March where they will face Ghana's Black Stars in a friendly game scheduled to take place at Fulham's Craven Cottage ground on March 29.

FIFA has however scrapped Nigeria's plans to play a friendly game against Ghana at Fulham's Craven Cottage ground in London on March 29 saying that it will not permit two matches across different continents to be played during this month's window.

Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) officials had planned the match against the African Nations Cup silver medallists as part of a rebuilding plan. Three days before the game, the will Bolivia at home in a friendly match at the newly-build Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo on March 26.

However, Fifa has ruled that national teams can only play one game during the window, so Ghana will have to search for a new opponent. According to Fifa, its regulations stipulate that no country should play two games across two continents in three days, although in the past, Nigeria has done so.

Ghana's Football Association will now consider proposals from other teams for the March 29 window including Australia. It has the option to play all two matches during the Fifa free window either in Europe or Asia.Organised by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) as part of a rebuilding plan, the match has been scheduled to ensure the Eagles are preoccupied during the forthcoming Fifa window. Three days before the match, the team would have faced Bolivia at home in a friendly match at the Akwa Ibom Stadium on March 26.

Immediately after the game, the team will fly to London for the highly anticipated encounter against long time regional rivals Ghana, who recently got to the final of the African Cup of Nations. According to the NFF, the Super Eagles will use both games to prepare for the 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifiers which commence in June.

Despite being defending African champions, Nigeria's Super Eagles failed to qualify for the recently concluded 2015 African Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea. This game is expected to enhance the rebuilding process, while Ghana will be looking to use it to get over the trauma of failing to lift the Nations Cup after an agonising penalty shoot-out loss to Ivory Coast in the final.

Nigeria and Ghana played a barren draw the last time both countries met in a friendly encounter in October 2011. Nigeria's last international game took place in January when a home-based side with a sprinkling of foreign-based players beat Yemen 2-0 in Dubai.
Written by Ayo Akinfe Nigerian Watch