Nigeria to start beach soccer league
by George Akpayen 17 December 2012, 08:39
Nigeria are planning to kick-start a beach soccer league next year, supersport.com can report.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Director of Technical, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, revealed after the Supersand Eagles defeated their Portuguese counterparts 8-7 at the Copa Lagos Beach Soccer Worldwide to retain their title on Sunday.
He disclosed that the football federation is working to conclude the logistics to ensure that the beach soccer league finally starts in 2013.
Ikpeme, who expressed excitement with Supersand Eagles' win, added that the league will start "at the earliest in the second or third quarter of next year."
"I'm happy with the performance of the team. There are plans by the football federation to start a beach soccer league. It has been in the plan for sometime but the logistics are being tied up.
"But I cannot assure you that the league will start early next year, I mean in the first quarter of next year. However, the beach soccer league should commence at the earliest in the second or third quarter of next year," revealed Ikpeme.
All of Nigeria's beach soccer players, who have featured in Fifa, Caf and invitational tournaments, have been drawn from 11-a-side football in the absence of a beach soccer league.
Nigeria's Supersand Eagles have won the CAF Beach Soccer Championship twice in 2007 and 2009, and have reached the last eight of the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup twice in 2007 and 2011.
