INTERESTING.........Super Eagles to play Atletico Madrid in Uyo

The Super Eagles of Nigeria will take on LaLiga club, Atletico Madrid, on May 22 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.

It is the first time the Spanish team will be visiting the country and the game will serve as preparation for Gernot Rohr’s men, as they prepare for next month’s World Cup in Russia.
“We are delighted to bring one of the three biggest clubs from LaLiga to Nigeria in what we believe will be a historic visit.

“As you all know Atlético Madrid is one of the top clubs in LaLiga. Football fans in Nigeria will have the rare opportunity of watching the stars play the Super Eagles right here on Nigerian soil.
“MultiChoice is undoubtedly the continent’s leader in sports and we have repeatedly shown this not only by the exclusive content we broadcast, but also by the way we support sports in Nigeria and put the country on the global sports map through exciting initiatives like the GOtv MAX Cup,” Martin Mabutho, General Manager, Sales and Marketing, MultiChoice Nigeria, told reporters.

The President of LaLiga, Javier Tebas, added: “This is a historic announcement and we are excited to share this news with our Nigerian fans: Atletico Madrid, one of LaLiga’s greatest clubs, will come to Nigeria and give our fans the chance to enjoy watching their stars up close. Africa and Nigeria in particular are very important for us and have a lot of love for Spanish football, something we are proud of.”

The proposed friendly game between Nigeria and Congo DR is under threat following the outbreak of Ebola in the Central African nation.

The Super Eagles are billed to take on the Congolese in a farewell game on May 27.
However, in the last month, there has been 19 suspected cases of Ebola, with 16 confirmed.

Nigeria have already taken measures to stop the disease from entering the country through its border, by tightening security at several entry points.
“We will be screening incoming passengers, particularly passengers from the DRC and neigbouring countries. We will also ensure we step up all activities screening people coming in so that we will not be caught unawares.
“The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control will also consider sending a team to the DRC as part of building capacity for managing the outbreak. We want to assure Nigerians that the Federal Government is concerned about the outbreak and will do everything possible to keep the country safe,” Nigeria’s Minister for Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, said yesterday.

The expected squad of Congo DR for the game will include home-based players, which means they could also be carriers of the deadly virus.