Tanzania arrive Uyo on Tuesday morning, two days behind schedule, as the Taifa Stars finally touched down at the Victor Attah International Airport ahead of Friday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Super Eagles.
The visitors had arrived in Abuja on Monday before flying on to Uyo, where they will continue their preparations for the first of two meetings with Nigeria in five days. Their arrival ends a frustrating wait for both camps, after flight changes left Uyo’s airport empty on Monday and pushed the Taifa Stars’ trip back by two days.
Sources at the airport told reporters they waited from morning until evening on Monday without a single player landing. “We were at the airport from morning until evening on Monday, and none of the players arrived. When the last flight of the day landed, we checked the manifest, but no player was on board,” one source said, as Tanzania’s flight was rescheduled for Tuesday.
Tanzania arrive Uyo after two days of flight delays
The Taifa Stars had originally planned to land in Uyo on Sunday, five days before Friday’s match, to give head coach Miguel Gamondi as much preparation time as possible. That plan unravelled when their flight was pushed back, first to Monday and then to Tuesday morning, leaving both teams waiting for their players to report as the week began. The delay was first reported on Monday night, when neither camp had a player on the ground.
The Super Eagles have had their own wait. Head coach Eric Chelle arrived in Uyo in the early hours of Monday, joined later in the day by assistant Daniel Ogunmodede, but no invited player had landed by Monday evening. Several are now expected to join the camp ahead of the team’s first training session, scheduled for Tuesday evening at the practice pitch of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. Tuesday’s session will be open to journalists, with player interviews at the team’s base on Wednesday and the pre-match press conference on Thursday.
Taifa Stars land without Mzize and Job as Nado joins the party
Tanzania touch down in Uyo short of two key men. Forward Clement Mzize and centre-back Dickson Job were both ruled out of the double-header through injury and stayed behind at Young Africans to continue treatment, with the Tanzania Football Federation approving the club’s request. Their absence leaves Gamondi with 23 players for the two games.
The late call-up is Azam FC winger Iddi Seleman Nado, 31, who has scored once in 11 appearances for the Taifa Stars. Nado travelled with the contingent that left for Uyo on Monday and will now have his chance to feature in both legs of the tie.
What Friday in Uyo means for the Super Eagles
Friday’s match is the one Nigeria cannot afford to lose. The Super Eagles sit second in Group L with three points from two games — a 2-1 win over Madagascar in Uyo followed by a 3-0 defeat in Guinea-Bissau — three behind the group leaders. Tanzania have one point from their two games, a 1-1 draw with Madagascar after a 2-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau.
The unusual twist is that Tanzania are already guaranteed a place at the 2027 finals as co-hosts alongside Kenya and Uganda, so only one qualification ticket remains up for grabs in the group. Nigeria must take it — and with captain and top scorer Victor Osimhen sidelined after knee surgery, Chelle’s reshaped attack will have to find the goals without him. The 24-man squad Chelle named on Saturday leaves Akor Adams, Tolu Arokodare, Moses Usor and Taiwo Awoniyi to share the striking burden.
Friday’s first leg kicks off at 17:00 WAT at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo. The return leg follows on Tuesday, 17 November, at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar. The camp opened in Uyo on Sunday, and the real work starts on the training pitch on Tuesday evening. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — collage by SportsBuddy
