Plans for a training visit by Bayelsa Queens in advance of the CAF Women’s Champions League in Morocco have been significantly hampered by the flood that is now wreaking havoc in numerous regions of the nation.
The team was supposed to depart the country last Saturday for the tour, according to Preye Yabrifa, media officer for the football team headquartered in Yenagoa, who spoke to the newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday.
“We were supposed to leave for Togo on Saturday, thereafter for the Republic of Benin and then Israel before arriving at Morocco for the competition.
“But the flood has limited our travel plans. There’s no way out of the state. We are supposed to be heading to Port Harcourt International Airport.
“Right now we are considering other means of travel, either by boat or heavy-duty vehicles like lorries, to get to Port Harcourt,” he said.
It is currently unclear, according to Yabrifa, if the team will embark on the West African tour or fly straight to Israel before arriving in Morocco.
The squad would undoubtedly leave the nation on or before Friday, he revealed, nevertheless.
The Bayelsa Queens were placed in Group B of the competition alongside TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, and Wadi Degla of Egypt.
On October 31, the Nigerian team will play the defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns, and Yabrifa is certain that they will do well.
“In spite of the situation in the state, the team is training and preparing hard. Our camp is not affected by flood and the same goes for the Samson Siasia Sports Stadium. So, in terms of training, we are good to go.”
The club is confident and hopeful of winning the competition, which is already in its second edition, according to the media officer.
“We have equipped our side with some fresh legs and we are sure that the team is equal to the task.
“We hope to make Nigeria proud in Morocco,” he added.
After winning the WAFU B Qualifiers for the Women’s Champions League and defeating Ghana’s Ampem Darkoa Ladies 3-0 in the championship match in Côte d’Ivoire, Bayelsa Queens earned entry into the competition.
The final competition will be held in Morocco from October 30 to November 13 and will feature a total of eight teams.
