Stadium Turf Expert, Egbe, Counsels Finidi on How to Beat Bafana

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Football pitch construction expert, Ebi Egbe, has said that highest goal scorer in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Enyimba’s Chijioke Mbaoma ought to be in the Super Eagles to play the two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic.

Mbaoma has scored 15 goals for the Aba Elephant in the Nigerian topflight to lead the chart. He’s not in Finidi’s 23-man squad. Remo Star’s Sadiq Ismael is the only out field home based player in the team that also have Enyimba ‘s goalkeeper, Ojo Olorunleke.

But the Monimichelle Sports Infrastructure Ltd Chief Executive Officer, Egbe,  told THISDAY ahead of this evening’s clash between Super Eagles and Bafana Bafana that the home-based players who strut their stuff on that Uyo pitch are at advantage playing on it.

“Finidi George understands the dynamics of the effects of playing turf on elite football players and raw talented players,” began the stadium turf expert.

He stressed that the Super Eagles coach not having ample time with the players on that Uyo stadium pitch poses a disadvantage to the team.

“South Africa has elite hybrid pitches (natural and synthetic turf fused pitches) in their two major stadiums in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The closest pitch with similar ball movement in Nigeria is the Remo Stars hybrid synthetic pitch in Ikenne, Ogun State. That is the only natural, infill synthetic turf pitch that is currently being maintained to standard in Nigeria and has fast ball movement which makes it a speed football pitch. 100% natural grass pitches on the other hand naturally has slow ball movement.  

“The South African team is mostly made up of home-based players who ply their trade on 100% natural turf.  So the  South Africans will try to show their skills in Uyo knowing that the  pitch is a 100% natural turf pitch with very close similarity in ball movement with where they play and train week in week out in their South African club sides.

“The Nigerian National Team,  a star-studded elite team with 95% players that ply their trade only on elite pitches week in week out at their various club sides, will find the Uyo pitch a different ball game. They are used to the advance pitch with a totally different ball movement.”

“It is on the strength of this that I want the coach (Finidi) to plot his game plan round players who can adapt easily to the turf to ensure he gets the right result. The top scorer in the Nigerian league would have been an added advantage here at Uyo this Friday,” concludes the stadium turf expert who has constructed well over 20 football pitches for state governments and institutions of higher learnings in the country.