Copa Lagos Beach Soccer: Okocha, Adepoju for Beach Eagles

COACH of the Beach Eagles, Adamu Audu has said that former Super Eagles skipper, Austin Okocha, has agreed to join his team in preparation for the international beach soccer tournament, Copa Lagos scheduled to hold in December.Audu, in a telephone chat disclosed this to Tribunesports in Lagos adding that Okocha, who captained Nigeria to the 2002 World Cup will be joined by four other ex-internationals which include Mutiu Adepoju, Friday Ekpo, Garba Lawal and Victor Ikpeba."I discussed with Okocha in Abuja when we went for Nigeria/Guinea match and he is willing to play. So, I am inviting him along with Adepoju, Garba, Ikpeba and Ekpo.Beach football requires experienced players and most of these retired ex-internationals have the experience because they once played beach soccer during their days abroad with their various clubs. All of them will train with us when we begin camping by the end of next month," said Adamu, who coached the Beach Eagles to the 2009 and 2011 FIFA beach soccer World Cups.The former BCC Lions player added that his team to Copa Lagos would be a mixture of regular and old players."I'm sure three of these ex-internationals would make the team if not all. Most of their colleagues in Europe played at the beach World Cup. Even, the coach of Spain asked after Rashidi Yekini because they were teammates before. He said he (Yekini) could help our team with his experience and that is to tell you that beach soccer is really for old players."I will still invite some of my regular players from various clubs but I'm thinking seriously about encouraging ex-internationals to embrace beach soccer because that is the trend in many countries now," Adamu said.The four-nation tournament involving Nigeria, Brazil, South Africa and England is scheduled to hold from December 9 to 11 this year at the Victoria Island, Lagos.
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