Th e CHAN Super Eagles could be up against virtually another team of Nigerians should Benin Republic scale a protest by Togo to play next month’s fi nal playoff Th ere are as many as seven players on the Benin Republic team who edged past Togo in a CHAN 2018 qualifi er this month to earn the right to take on Nigeria for a place at the fi nal tournament in Kenya in January. At least two Nigerians started the second leg match against Togo in Cotonou – Ogoulola Ibrahim and Elegbede Jules – and SCORENigeria has further learnt that several others on the squad were given Benin passports and names even though they are from across the border in Nigeria. “You will play against another Nigerian team,” warned a top source from Cotonou. “Many of the players are from Nigeria and they were only given the passports and names of Benin people. “And after the qualifi ers the federation will take back the passports they gave them.” Th e source further revealed:
“Th e players we are talking about can hardly speak French, which is the offi cial language in Benin. “Th ey are simply football mercenaries.” Nigeria and Benin enjoy close social and economic ties that Nigerian like Razak Omotoyossi, Emmanuel Fabiyi, Isaac Loute and Muri Ogunbiyi have been capped at full international level by Benin CHAN Eagles are already intensifying preparation for the crucial encounter in Kano under the watchful eyes of coach Salifu Yusuf
