AFCON 2023: Samuel Chukwueze, Ola Aina lament hot Ivory Coast weather

Nigeria duo of Samuel Chukwueze and Ola Aina were among players complaining of the heat in Abidjan as they prepare for their second group A match against the hosts Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday.

Three-time AFCON champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Equatorial Guinea in their Africa Cup of Nations Group A opening encounter in Abidjan. The game which was played at the Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara kicked off at 2 pm local time at a temperature of 36°C.

NigeriaFootball.ng scooped that the majority of the team players are based in Europe whose current weather is snowy, and camped in Abu Dhabi for one week to get familiarized with its hot weather conditions.

Despite that, some players still find the Ivorian weather difference and slightly unbearable.

Ola Aina, who played 83 minutes in their opening match admitted that the weather was humid, but wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

“The weather was hot, but okay. I think everyone knows how to deal with the heat here. Maybe we got tired towards the end of the game, but that’s normal. The heat is not an excuse,” Ola Aina told Soccernet.

In a chat with Pulse Sports, Samuel Chukwueze backed the claim, “the weather is not favorable to play under.”

“It was too hot. We played in the afternoon around 2 pm. Even you (media) saw it, how you are drinking water because it’s hot. Now, imagine us playing and running in the heat.

“Maybe we got tired but we are prepared for Ivory Coast. We don’t care about having the home fans but we are going to give our all.”