The Nigeria Football Federation has confirmed the participation of the country in the next CAF Beach Soccer African Cup of Nation with the qualification series coming up in July, 2024.
Nigeria last participated in Beach Soccer tournament at the 2019 World Cup. Nigeria’s Super Sand Eagles exited the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay without a win after a 12-2 annihilation by Brazil in their final group stage match. In the previous two games, Nigeria recorded two losses to Portugal (10-1) and Oman (6-5).
Confirming the participation, the NFF in a press statement on Wednesday said the Committee which will be inaugurated on Thursday and saddled with the responsibility of making sure that the team has a successful participation in the AFCON qualifiers and finals. Meanwhile, Nigeria has never participated in Futsal competition.
The statement reads;
“President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau will on Thursday at the NFF Secretariat, Abuja inaugurate the Federation’s Futsal and Beach Soccer Sub-Committee.
The committee has as chairman, Otuekong Nse Essien with the Chairman of Chairmen of Nigeria Football, Alhaji Ahmed Yusuf (Fresh) as vice chairman. The members are Aminu Mohammed Inuwa, Hon. Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, Hajji Liameed Gafaar, Mr. Richard Jideaka and Yabagi Alhaji Baba. Abubakar D. Umar (Barde) is secretary.
The Futsal and Beach Soccer Sub-Committee is responsible for the organization of all futsal and beach soccer competitions and deals with all matters relating to futsal and beach soccer.
Nigeria has been a continental, and to some extent global, power in beach soccer in previous years, with the Supersand Eagles winning the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations in 2007 and 2009 and reaching the quarter-finals of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Italy 13 years ago.
The Confederation of African Football last week conducted the draw for this year’s Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifying series with the Supersand Eagles drawn to play Mauritania home and away next month. A total of 14 countries will be involved in the qualifiers, with the seven winners to join hosts Egypt at the finals.
Mauritania will host the Supersand Eagles on a day between 19th and 21st July, with Nigeria hosting the return leg a week later.
For the first time ever, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup will take place on African soil, when Seychelles stages the tournament next year.
