Rio 2016: Nigeria’s Dream Team Has Landed, But Has to Play While Jet lagged

On the 20^th anniversary of their gold medal win at the 1996 Atlanta games, Nigeria found themselves off to a rough start. Ironically, the “Dream Team” found themselves stranded in Atlanta.

According to reports, the team finally left the U.S. for the western Brazilian city of Manaus on Thursday morning only a few hours before their Group B game with Japan.

According to various reports from journalists, the delay was caused by a problem with the payment of the flight. As per this BBC article, Timi Ebikagboro, the team’s media officer said: “The players were uncomfortable with the size of the plane.” However, he added that the government intervened, and they would make it in time for their first game.

Colin Udoh, a Nigerian soccer expert, shared with the USA Today that “It has been an absolute shambles, and the whole thing is a complete embarrassment,” and several players were “devastated and angry” about it.

In a conflicting report, Bunmi Jinadu, the founder of United Soccer Africa, denied that they missed their flight due to a money issue, and Delta Air Lines cited a “communications mix-up.”

Fortunately, the Nigerians landed safely a few hours before the game. Hopefully, they will get over their Jet Lag and play a competitive game against Japan.

Photo Courtesy: The Nigeria Football Federation