Coach of the senior national team of South Africa Stuart Baxter has revealed the reason why his team shelved the idea of training at the venue of the match on Thursday upon arrival in Nigeria.
South Africa trained at a nearby practice pitch instead of the Godswill Akpabio Stadium which will host the game, and Baxter whose team had to spend the night in Lagos upon arrival in Nigeria opt to have his team train at a nearby pitch due to the long distance from their hotel to the stadium.
The coach was keen for his players to have a feel of the stadium, where the game will be played but considering the fact that it will take them 45 minutes to get to the stadium, he made the quick call to have them train at a nearby pitch.
“It’s not ideal, but I don’t want to break the spirit and that bite I saw in South Africa. I want to keep them fired up instead of spending 45 minutes to the grounds and 45 minutes back after the hours we have spent travelling,” said Baxter.
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“It’s worth the sacrifice. I will work on set pieces and then sit them down for a video session later. Then only (on Friday) will we go to the stadium for a full training session.”
Osas Mahawi
