The Nigerian Football Federation has confirmed speculations that Nigeria will take on Argentina in a high-profile international friendly in Krasnodar Arena Stadium in Russian on Tuesday, 14 November.
The NFF confirmed the information through it’s General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, on Saturday stating that nearly all arrangements have been put in place for the match-up subject to approval by world football-ruling body FIFA and agreeable flight arrangements.
Sanusi said… “We have had long and fruitful talks, and we can say that we have an agreement. We await the approval by FIFA and also, we have to agree on the flight arrangements that would be comfortable for the players and crew, the match will come up on 14th November, four days after the Super Eagles’ final 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match away to Algeria. We had offers from teams like Iran, Saudi Arabia and Morocco but we have opted for the Argentines.”
Nigeria has already qualified for Russia 2018 and will face Algeria’s Fennecs for the last match of the group stages at the Stade Mohamed Hamlaoui in Constantine on Friday, 10 November, 4 days before the Argentine friendly.
Nigeria and Argentina’s football play history goes way back to the year 1994 in a FIFA World Cup match in Boston, USA, where the Super Eagles who were playing an international game for the first time lost 2-1 to the Argentines. The next was in 1996 for the Olympic Men’s Football Tournament in America where Nigeria won the Argentines and 12 years later when the Argentines won in China. Both teams clashed again in a FIFA World Cup group stage match with Argentina taking a 1-nil win in Ibaraki, Japan in 2002, and in Johannesburg, South Africa eight years later.
Both teams played two friendly matches in 2011, the first in Abuja in June, ending 4-1 in favour of the Super Eagles. The Argies triumped the second encounter 3-1 in Dhaka, Bangladesh three months later.
