NFF president Ibrahim Gusau shares benefits of Mozambique friendly to Nigeria

By Saheed Afolabi

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Ibrahim Gusau has explained the benefits of the international friendly game against Mozambique.

The Super Eagles have been pitched in a tricky group at the next Africa Cup Of Nations (AFCON) against host, Cote D’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Guinea Bissau.

The NFF boss said the game against the Mambas was to organize the team since they fall into same region with the West Africans’ 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying opponents South Africa.

“For the game against Mozambique, we tried to see how we can organise it,” Gusau told NFF media.

“As you know Mozambique come from the same axis with Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe, who happens to be our opponent in the World Cup qualifiers.

“We feel they play the same pattern of football, they have the same mentality so let us have a feel of how people from that axis of Africa play their game. That is why we tried as much as possible to arrange the game, I think it didn’t take us more than a month to arrange for the game on Monday.”

The Glass House president believes this ish the best time to utilize the international break with friendly matches that will be crucial to the Super Eagles qualification to the next World Cup.

“We feel it is important for us to see that we do all we can to organise this two friendly matches because this is the only time we have to organise this kind of matches,” he continued.

“After this, November is going to be the World Cup qualifiers, we don’t have any window to utilise more than this.

“We know that as we feel you also feel that these friendly matches are very important for us and it gives signals to where we are going to and I’m sure you are all mentally prepared for that.”