Alex Iwobi

Taiwo Adelu

Nigeria has invited 19-year old Arsenal Football Club of England’s striker, Alex Iwobi and other 29 players for the 24 March’s international friendly match against Brazil.

Iwobi, who also plays as a winger for the Gunners was named alongside 20 other foreign based players for the friendly to be used by both countries to prepare for the men’s football event of the Rio Olympic Games in August this year.

Some of the foreign based stars include goalkeeper Dele Alampasu, Stanley Amuzie, Usman Mohammed and Azubuike Okechukwu.

The list of the invited players who Coach Samson Siasia invited before he was named as one of the coaches of the Super Eagles on Friday is a mixture of old faces that Siasia has worked with over the course of the qualifying matches for the All-Africa Games and the Games proper and the qualifying matches for the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations and the championship proper, as well as new faces he intends to take a close look at.

“For now, I want to assume that I don’t have a team, as every Nigerian player within the age bracket that is good get a chance to fight for a place in my team to the Olympics. I intend to use friendly games like this to try out as many players as I can, so that as we get closer to the games I will have a mental picture of the players I will be taking for my final training camp before the Games.

“I invited this large number of players because I know not all of them will be able to make it even though we have sent out invitation letters to all of them. My major concern now is for them to come with letters from their clubs indicating that if they are eventually selected for the Games, their clubs will allow them report to camp when needed,” Siasia told the website of Nigeria Football Federation, NFF.

Siasia added that as a lot of overseas-based players have shown interest in playing for the country at the Olympics, he intends to utilize all FIFA free windows so as to enable him and his assistants assess as many of them as possible.

“For now, we are concentrating on those players we have no picture of how they will adapt to our playing pattern. We intend to invite more of such players as we go ahead. We already know some of the overseas –based pros we intend to work with, so we will be inviting those known faces as we progress in our build up to the Games,” Siasia said.

FULL LIST (Home Based)
1. Emmanuel Daniel
2. Yusuf Mohammed
3. Segun Oduduwa
4. Erhun Obanor
5. Sincere Seth
6. Ndifreke Effiong
7. Ubong Ekpai
8. Bright Onyedikachi
9. Stanley Dimgba

Overseas Based
10. Dele Alampasu
11. Stanley Amuzie
12. Usman Mohammed
13. Azubuike Okechukwu
14. Sadiq Popoola
15. Etebo Oghenekaro
16. Saviour Godwin
17. Aminu Umar
18. Alex Iwobi
19. Iyayi Believe
20. Junior Ajayi
21. Taiwo Awoniyi
22. Peter Olayinka
23. Theophilus Solomon
24. Godswill Ekpolo
25. Sergio Uyi
26. Ovbokha Agboyi
27. Nathan Oduwa
28. Musa Mohammed
29. Saturday Ekiego
30. Victor Osimhen