But the Meteors, who are chasing a first Olympic ticket since 2004, have had their preparations for this game marred by poor travel arrangements which have left some players fuming.
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The Algerian U-23 team leave the stadium in the VIP bus while the Black Meteors depart in the other bus.
Photo: @Fentuo #SportsPanorama
“They’re treating the Algerians better than us, as if when we go there these guys will treat us any better,” one player told Citi Sports.
“This is disgraceful, it’s like they don’t care about this game. The pitch wasn’t even watered. Just putting water on the pitch too, they didn’t do it,” another cried out.
On Sunday, members of the technical team of the Meteors left their M-Plaza Hotel base to the airport in rented taxis because the bus assigned the entire team was too small to accommodate both players and technical staff and their luggage.
This was after the technical team were forced to drop 4 players from their squad of 22 to 18 because of the ministry’s unwillingness to cater for the flight of the entire contingent.
Despite the challenges, the Meteors will be hoping to qualify ahead of the Algerians for the AFCON U-23 tournament to be staged in Egypt from November 5.
Source: citisportsonline.com
