Nigeria begin training at home for Nations Cup (27.10.2001)
LAGOS,
Nigeria will begin preparations for the 2002 African Nations Cup on December 28 in the southern town of Abeokuta, the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) announced Friday.
According to officials, the `Super Eagles` will leave for Abidjan on January 5 to play a friendly warm-up match with the Ivory Coast team, scheduled for January 7.
The team will leave for Bamako, Mali, after that encounter to continue their preparations for the African soccer finals which kick off on January
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Nigeria coach Shaibu Amodu had considered holding preparations outside the country to avoid "unnecessary destractions" at home.
It was widely speculated that the Sol Beni training ground, owned by top Ivorian side Asec Mimosa and which the team used during their qualifying campaign for the 1998 World Cup, would host the Eagles ahead Mali 2002.
Nigeria, two-time winners of the Nations Cup, are drawn along with host nation Mali, Algeria and Liberia in Group A of the 16-team championship.
