Nigerian National Football Team Training Camp in Paris - 2004-03-17

The national football team of Nigeria intends to train in Paris for at least a week before their match against Tunisia later this month, which is crucial for qualifying for the Athens Summer Olympics. A senior official from the Nigerian Football Federation stated on Tuesday that the federation is considering a proposal by coach Kadiri Ikhana, which suggests that the team will prepare in Paris before flying to Tunisia. The official emphasized that winning this match is essential for Nigeria, and everything is being done to ensure that nothing is overlooked. The Nigerian Football Federation has called up several of its prominent players for this match, including John Utaka from the French club RC Lens, Osaze Odemwingie from La Louvière in Belgium, and Bartolomeu Ogbeche from Bastia in France. Nigeria is currently at the top of Group A in Africa's qualifying round for the Olympic football games, with 10 points from 5 matches, which is 1 point ahead of their closest rival, Tunisia. Therefore, Nigeria must avoid defeat in the return match on March 26 at the Tunisian national team's home ground to qualify for the Olympics. In the first leg match in Bauchi, northern Nigeria, late last year, Tunisia and Nigeria drew 1-1.