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English Premier League club Arsenal will play the Super Eagles of Nigeria in a pre-season match in Abuja on 5 August. It will be the first time the Gunners have played in the West African country. Nigeria ranked 60th in the latest Fifa rankings face Arsenal who finished third in the English top flight last season. According to promoters, DanJan Sports, agreement has been finalised with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).”We are delighted to announce that Arsenal Football Club will face the Super Eagles of Nigeria in Abuja,” David Omigie of DanJan Sports said.”The NFF have agreed that the country will present a strong side as coach Stephen Keshi continue his development process.”The Arsenal manager [Arsene Wenger] will also use this game to showcase his full squad for the 2012/2013 football season.”
The London club traditionally hosts an annual pre-season tournament at the Emirates Stadium, but they opted to postpone the event for a year because of the 2012 London Olympics.The visit to Nigeria will conclude Arsenal’s pre-season tour after playing in both China and Malaysia in July.On their official website Arsenal said: “The club last visited Africa during a tour to South Africa in July 1993, and is returning as a result of the fantastic support which exists for the team, not only in Nigeria, but across the entire continent.”Meanwhile, DanJan Sports also revealed that tickets for the upcoming friendly match with Nigeria will go on sale from July 4 across outlets to be announced soon.In July 2008, they brought two other English clubs, Manchester United and Portsmouth, to the Nigerian capital Abuja for a pre-season friendly.As well as the match between the two, Portsmouth also played against Nigeria Premier League side Kano Pillars
