Nigeria’s delegation to Sunday’s game between the Super Eagles and Walya Antelopes of Ethiopia will arrive in Addis Ababa on Saturday morning, an official said on Thursday in Abuja.
Musa Amadu, the Secretary-General of Nigeria Football Association (NFA), told newsmen that a Boeing 787 Jetliner will depart the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja at 1.40 a.m. on Saturday.
The aircraft had been chartered for the trip to Ethiopia for the 2014 FIFA World Cup final elimination fixture’s first leg match.
“The plane is expected to touch down at the Addis Ababa Airport some minutes after 8 a.m. Ethiopian time,’’ the NFA secretary-general said.
Ethiopia is two hours ahead of Nigeria.
Amadu disclosed further that the delegation would include 23 players, four coaches, eight team backroom staff, NFA board members, National Sports Commission (NSC) officials and members of the National Assembly.
“The delegation will also have some NFA management and secretariat staff, some other Nigerian football stakeholders, media representatives and members of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, all totalling 263 persons,’’ he said.
The NFA secretary-general said an advance party of two persons from the association had been in Addis Ababa since Tuesday.
“They have been working assiduously with officials of the Nigeria Embassy in Ethiopia to tidy up all arrangements for the delegation.
“On Thursday, the advance party met with officials of the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF).
“This was to verify reports that the federation was determined to stop Nigerian supporters from going into the stadium with their drums and trumpets on match day.
“However, EFF officials denied this,’’ he said.