Excitement As CAF Approves Moshood Abiola Stadium for Nigeria Versus Ghana World Cup Playoffs

• The Confederation of African Football has certified the renovated Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja to host international matches
• CAF officials had inspected the pitch a few weeks ago and now approved of it to host the crucial clash.
• Nigeria will play host to arch-rivals Ghana on March 29 in the reverse fixture of the final World Cup playoff to determine one of Africa’s five representatives in Qatar

The Confederation of African Football has given the go-ahead for the newly renovated Moshood Abiola stadium to host Nigeria’s crucial World Cup playoffs against Ghana, reports The Guardian.

Nigeria and Ghana were paired together for the final round of the World Cup qualifiers with the Black Stars to host the first leg on March 23 while the Super Eagles host the reverse fixture on March 29.

Both nations had a disastrous AFCON outing in Cameroon and will be seeking redemption by booking a spot to the World Cup to be hosted in Qatar in November 2022.

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CAF officials had inspected the pitch a few weeks ago and have now given their approval of the Abuja stadium to host the crucial clash.

According to Premium Times, the African football body also stressed that the stadium must be well-managed according to the requirements of CAF.

Moshood Abiola Stadium now wearing new look

Meanwhile, the Moshood Abiola stadium seems to be wearing a new look after major renovations were completed by the Sports Ministry in a Public-Private Partnership deal.

According to the Punch, the revamped stadium is complete with nursery beds, two digital scoreboards, 24 sprinklers and two-year maintenance.

The playing pitch has also been revamped with lush green grass which is considered to be one of the best playing surfaces in Africa at the moment.

Morocco Coach Issues Defiant Statement on Hakim Ziyech

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Morocco’s national team coach Vahid Halilhodzic insists he will not beg winger Hakim Ziyech to come back to the side, despite the nation’s exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.

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The Atlas Lions were knocked out of the competition in the semi-final by Egypt, despite an initial impressive run in the group stages.

Halilhodzic did not select Ziyech for the competition after a public fallout that dates back to 2021, and this decision was thoroughly questioned after Morocco exited the competition.