No plans to move Super Eagles base to Lagos, says NFF
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has denied reports making the rounds that it is planning to move future international football games involving the Super Eagles from Uyo to Lagos..
Reports in some quarters suggested that the NFF was considering hosting future games at the newly renovated Teslim Balogun Stadium, pending CAF’s venue approval for the next leg of the 2027 AFCON double-header against Tanzania.
However, that speculation has been quashed after comments referencing a member of the NFF who pleaded anonymity denied moves of moving future matches from Uyo to Lagos, at least, for the time being.
He said: “Lagos is under consideration, but Uyo remains the venue for our games. Before we take any match to Teslim Balogun Stadium, we must first of all sound out the players and know how they feel about that. After that, we may start with friendly games to feel the vibes from fans and test other parameters before taking any qualifier to Lagos.
“The players have been playing in Uyo for up to a decade, and it would be unwise for us to move them to Lagos just like that. Besides, Teslim Balogun Stadium is not yet ready to host any game. When Lagos State completes the work on the stadium, our inspectors will go to see it and advise the NFF on what to do.”
The last time the Super Eagles played a match at the Teslim Balogun Stadium was on March 30, 2021, in an exciting game against Lesotho which ended 3-0 in favour of the home team.
The game was a final Group L match of the 2021 AFCON qualifying campaign, marking the team’s return to Lagos after a 20-year absence from competitive games in the former capital city.
