CAF Club Competition: Enyimba, Rivers United must show the Nigerian Spirit, says Bayelsa SWAN Boss
By Gbenga Adeleye
Bayelsa State Chapter of the Sport Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) chairman, Alambo Datonye has charged the two (Enyimba and Rivers United) Nigerian clubs on the continent to show the Nigerian spirit of winning ahead of this evening games.
Enyimba Int’l will face Al Merreikh of Sudan in Omudurman in the first round first leg tie, while Rivers United are guest of Bloemfontein Celtic of South Africa in the Caf Confederation Cup qualifeir first round first leg tie.
Datonye in an exclusive chat with FreeKickNaija on Monday evening said the two Nigeria’s representative have an herculean task ahead of them but opined victories can be achieved if they go into Wednesday’s game with a winning mentality.
“It will be a tough one for the Nigerian teams (Enyimba and Rivers United) because of the insufficient competitive games especially the league, but as usual we expect them to use the ever determined Nigeria spirit to triumph.
“They must get their match strategies and plan right, score more and avoid conceding. They have to remain focused even when those teams choose to use frustrating antics against them,” said the SWAN Chairman.
The winner of the two leg tie between Enyimba and Al Merreikh will progress to the Caf Champion League group stage, while the losing team will be demoted to the Caf Confederation playoff round.
Datonye continued, “Absent of the league will be a major fitness challenge fot the Nigerian teams. However, if they maintain mental toughness and ambition to succeed, they can overcome the hurdles.
“They must have a winning mentality, belief in themselves.”
When asked going to play in Sudan by Nigerian teams has always been very difficult and hostile, he replied. “Enyimba have the experience to handle it, they should go with the mindset of getting victory no matter what.
