The clock is ticking for the team to get to Brazil ahead of time.
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Samson Siasia’s side face Japan in the opening game of the football event of the Games and will arrive in Brazil with just hours to spare before the clash against the Samurai Blues. The airport chose to work with Delta to make sure the team made its match on time, he said. Delta Air Lines cited a “communications mix-up” that grounded the team’s original Friday flight.
Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) sources told ESPN FC that the issue comes from the Nigeria Sports Ministry, whose responsibility it is to transport the Olympic contingent.
Jinadu said this year, the Nigerian team is America’s team because the USA men’s soccer team didn’t make it to Rio and because there are so many Nigerians living in America.
However, they have been left kicking their heels in Atlanta once again after failing to board their flight on Tuesday afternoon.
GW men’s soccer’s rising senior Ben Ogedegbe was called up in July to compete and train with the Nigerian U23 squad in Atlanta as the Nigerian team prepared for the upcoming Rio Olympics.
“This came to our attention on the 20th anniversary of the Nigerian football team’s win at the Atlanta games”, said Delta spokesperson Betsy Talton. Who knows what would’ve happened had he not been there to help them through it all.
Nigeria’s players had initially thought they would be leaving Atlanta on Wednesday morning.
“Nigeria has tough skin”, he said. Although, other reports have refuted the claims of player unrest, so who knows how accurate that may be. The quest for this Nigerian team begins tonight on jet-lagged legs in the Brazilian jungle.
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The airline, it was reported, is temporarily picking up the bills of the charter flight, with an understanding that the NFF will pay them back later.
