Chieftains of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are racing against time to ensure Super Eagles stars learn and perfect the reversed national anthem barely seven days before their World Cup qualifiers against Bafana Bafana of South Africa in Uyo, The Guardian can report.

Nigeria will host Bafana Bafana in Uyo on June 7 before travelling to Ivory Coast to face Benin Republic on June 10.

The Glass House faces the task of ensuring the players recite the new anthem perfectly to avoid international embarrassment.

To this end, the country’s soccer governing body has perfected a plan to ensure the players feel at home with the current anthem by urging them to rehearse on their own before coming to camp.

A Guardian source in the Glass House revealed that the NFF is considering getting a teacher to facilitate the learning process, adding that a special camp session has been set aside to perfect the new anthem.

“The NFF is aware that some of the players may struggle to get used to the reversed national anthem, hence its plans to set a session aside to teach and perfect it before our game against South Africa,” the source revealed.

The Super Eagles will take on Benin Republic in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier at a neutral venue after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ruled that stadiums in Benin are not good enough to host international matches.

The Benin Football Association has also completed all arrangements to play the game in one of the stadiums used during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Super Eagles are third in their qualifying group with two points after two rounds of matches, while Benin, handled by former Nigeria coach Gernot Rohr, has one point. Rwanda, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho are the other teams in this group. (The Guardian)

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