Super Eagles And Bastia of France Player, Sunday Mba, left London on Thursday for America with the rest of the squad, as part of the team.
In the USA Nigeria will play against Greece in Chester, Pennsylvania on June 3 and the United States team in Jacksonville, Florida on June 7 ahead of the World Cup which kicks off in Brazil on June 12. The 30-man squad started their camping in London with the friendly match against Scotland on Wednesday which ended 2-2.
The Eagles Media Officer, Ben Alaiya, said on Thursday that Mba’s travel problems had been sorted out and he joined up with the squad in London in time for their departure for the United States. Mba was seated with the fans in the stands of the Craven Cottage as Nigeria and Scotland played the match. His arrival restores hope to his fans who had given up on the African Nations Cup hero making the final list of 23 players for Brazil 2014.
It was explained that Mba’s visa to travel to the UK had expired. His French club Bastia then requested he report to France, which altered his planned trip from Nigeria to Britain. The Nigeria Football Federation then put in urgent requests with the British High Commission in Abuja and then Paris before the former Warri Wolves player’s travel documents were renewed.
Mba was the last player to join the African champions. Nnamdi Oduamadi who also had travel hitches joined early enough to play the Wednesday match at the Fulham FC ground.
The squad will be cut to 23 for the World Cup on June 2, the NFF said. The date is FIFA’s deadline day for final lists.
Also Eagles officials have down played the knee injury Sunshine Stars defender Kunle Odunlami suffered in the World Cup warm-up against Scotland.
The Sunshine defender was taken off after the knee injury in the 74th minute and replaced by Efe Ambrose of Celtic, but Alaiya told Africanfootball.com that there was no cause for the alarm.
He said, “Odunlami’s injury is not a serious one, he had knock on his knee which shouldn’t be a problem. He is fine.”
Nigeria will play Iran, Bosnia and Argentina in Group F in the first round in Brazil.