Visa hitch delays Eagles’ Belgium trip

In from Nifemi Daniel …

Latest reports emanating from the Super Eagles camp revealed that the team will no longer be able to travel to Belgium on Sunday as scheduled, for their two friendly internationals against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon, because international passports of players and officials are still at the Embassy of Belgium in Abuja.

According to the Team Administrator, Enebi Achor, officials at the Embassy of Belgium had requested for additional documents on Wednesday, and as Thursday was public holiday, the documents were taken to the Embassy on Friday.

“We had booked tickets on Lufthansa Airline for the delegation to travel from Abuja to Frankfurt on Sunday, but that can no longer happen as the passports are still at the Embassy of Belgium. As things stand now, we can only leave for Frankfurt on Monday evening, to arrive in Belgium on Tuesday, if the visas are issued on Monday.”

Read also: FIFA Rankings: Nigeria moves up one place

This means home –based professionals Femi Thomas, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Austin Oboroakpo, Paul Onobi, Prince Aggrey and Chima Akas will have a day less to train with the group before Thursday’s clash with the Leopards of Democratic Republic of Congo in Vise, Liege.

NFF officials are unhappy that the Embassy of Belgium did not request for the additional documents earlier than Wednesday, September 30, as the international passports had been submitted nine days earlier.

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