30 May 2011
The referees for Wednesday’s high-profile international friendly football match between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Argentina’s senior team (Guinness the Match) will come from Nigeria’s neighbours to the north, Niger Republic.
Officials revealed on Sunday that Ibrahim Chaibou, a FIFA-graded referee of many years, will be Centre Referee with Itinni Haman as 1st Assistant Referee. The 2nd Assistant Referee is Abdoulaye Mamane while Nigerian FIFA-graded official Bunmi Ogunkolade will work as the Fourth official.
Wednesday’s clash at the National Stadium, Abuja, for which a total of 25,000 tickets are up for sale at the sum of N2,500 each, will start at 7pm.
It is the fifth clash between both countries at senior level. Samson Siasia, presently Nigeria’s Head Coach, is the only man to have scored against Argentina at senior level, in the 1-2 loss to the Diego Maradona-led to the Argies at the Foxboro Stadium, Massachusetts, USA at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Both teams drew 0-0 at the Intercontinental Tournament for the King Fahd Cup (now FIFA Confederations Cup) in January in 1995, but the Super Eagles were edged by the odd goal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals in Japan and South Africa respectively.
However, Nigerians retain good memories of a 3-2 win over the South Americans in the gold medal match of the 1996 Olympics Men’s Football Tournament in Atlanta, USA.
AllAfrica – All the Time