Former Sand Eagles captain, Isiaka Olawale, has voiced his concerns regarding the lack of proper training and preparation for Nigeria’s upcoming Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Mauritania.

In an interview with Brila.net, Olawale highlighted that Nigeria has not participated in any beach soccer competitions for over three years, leading to inactivity in the sport.

“It’s going to affect us because it’s over three years now. And if you look at the time factor, it’s very, very short,” Olawale said.

“Most of the players now, maybe the ones to select for this particular competition, I think almost about 70 to 80 percent are new players. So, they are very, very new in the game.”

Reflecting on past experiences, Olawale mentioned that during previous competitions, such as the World Cup in the Bahamas, the team faced similar challenges but managed to perform without adequate training.

“I remember when we were going to the World Cup in the Bahamas, you know, we didn’t even train at all before we went to the World Cup,” he recalled.

Nigeria vs Portugal during the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019. (Photo by Alex Grimm – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

“The most important thing is that if they can put the house together and then if the boys can be able to at least assemble themselves in like one month before the competition or three weeks, I think it will be okay,” Olawale added.

The Sand Eagles will need to be at their best to secure a spot in the Beach Soccer AFCON, where they have previously excelled, winning the tournament in 2007 and 2009.