The Pitch Is Not An Excuse — Guinea-Bissau Coach Speaks Ahead Of Nigeria Showdown

Guinea-Bissau head coach Emiliano Té has played down concerns over the condition of the 24 de Setembro Stadium pitch ahead of Tuesday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Nigeria.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria will meet in their second Group L fixture at the 20,000-capacity stadium, with both teams looking to maintain their winning starts to the qualifying campaign. Guinea-Bissau opened their campaign with a 2-0 away victory over Tanzania, while Nigeria defeated Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo.

The condition of the playing surface has attracted attention due to Guinea-Bissau’s rainy season, with heavy rainfall potentially leaving the pitch waterlogged and uneven.

Nigeria head coach Eric Chelle acknowledged that the conditions could present a challenge but said his players would concentrate on adapting to the pitch rather than complain about it.

“I don’t want to say whether the pitch is good or the pitch is bad. We just need to stay focused on our game. We have to manage, and we will see how it is during the training session too before the game,” Chelle said.

Té also admitted that the pitch is not among the best but insisted that the hosts have limited control over the conditions, particularly because of the ongoing rainfall.

“We are playing in Africa, and we know that our pitch is not one of the best, but it is what it is. It is what we have, and we cannot do anything about it,” Té said during his pre-match press conference.

He added that even the home team would prefer better playing conditions but explained that the weather had made it difficult to improve the surface.

“We also don’t like to play on it the way it is now, but we can’t control that because it is raining and they try their best to make it good,” he said.

Tuesday’s encounter will be the fifth meeting between Guinea-Bissau and Nigeria. Guinea-Bissau secured a 1-0 victory over the Super Eagles in Abuja during the first leg of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers, with Mama Baldé scoring the decisive goal.

Nigeria responded in the return fixture in Bissau, where Moses Simon converted a 30th-minute penalty to give the Super Eagles a 1-0 victory.

Both sides will now face each other again with three points at stake as they seek to strengthen their positions in Group L.