CHAN: Eagles arrive Cape Town in high spirit

The Super Eagles arrived South Africa on Thursday
morning to begin their quest for honours in their
maiden appearance at the African Nations
Championship (CHAN) 2014, specially designed for
players who ply their trade in their domestic
leagues across Africa.

The team led by Assistant Coach, Dan ‘the Bull’
Amokachi, who is holding forte for Stephen Keshi,
who will join the team after this weekend’s Glo-CAF
Awards in Nigeria, left the Murtala Mohammed
Airport in Lagos on Wednesday night at about
10:30pm. After five and half hours flight with a
South Africa Airways plane, the team arrived
Johannesburg at 4:30 Nigerian time, which is 5:30 in
South Africa.
The team was received by a team of Nigerian
Embassy officials led by Ambassador Sunday
Yusuf, who expressed delight at their safe arrival
and ensured that the team had a smooth passage
through immigration procedure. The envoy also
charged the team to ensure that they win the trophy
at the first try. “Nigerians are now used to winning,
especially here in South Africa and I’m sure you will
not let the nation down”, he said.
Amokachi assured that the team will do its best at
the tourney, even as Keshi is being expected on
time before the Eagles opening game against Mali.
After a little wait at the OR Thambo International
Airport, the team connected another SAA flight to
Cape Town where it will play its preliminary
matches. The flight to Cape Town lasted
1:40minutes. On arrival the team was received by
about 30 cheering and drumming Nigerians under
the aegis of ‘Nigerian Union in Western Cape’. The
group was led by Kalu Obi.
From there the team whose Team Administrator,
Dayo Enebi Achor, was already on ground was
taken to its abode at Garden Court De Waal, a quiet
suburb of the city. The team has since settled down
and will have its first training session on Thursday
night at 8:30pm local time, which is 7:30 Nigerian
time.