Nigerian consulate helps out fans

The issues surrounding the Nigerian national team have been well documented throughout the course of the 2018 FIFA World Cup thus far, but beyond that, the problems that Super Eagles fans have had with their travel has also been making the headlines. A few days back a series of Nigeria supporters struggled to get out of Kaliningrad following their loss to Croatia in their opener, which caused quite a lot of stress for the fans themselves and the Russian officials. Eventually, the whole ordeal was sorted out, but now, it appears as if there’s another layer to the story.

Fans of the Nigerian National Team – AGIF / Shutterstock

Around 100 members of The Nigeria Football Supporters Club left Moscow yesterday as they began their journey to Volgograd, where Nigeria will take on Iceland this afternoon in an absolutely crucial Group D clash. They didn’t do things all their own way, however, with the Nigerian consulate having to sort out a variety of issues for them before their travel day could get underway. There were several immigration issues on the borders, but after all of the problems were finally sorted, the president of the group ensured that the Nigeria squad would be receiving their full vocal support as they attempt to avoid elimination from the tournament.

At first, there were hefty complaints from the supporters regarding the involvement of the Nigeria Football Federation. They strongly believed that the NFF wasn’t providing them with nearly enough assistance, and as you’ve been able to tell, they’ve run into a series of issues along the way during their Russian adventure thus far. In a few years time they may be able to look back on all of this with a smile, especially if Nigeria can overcome the odds on the pitch, but for now, it must be incredibly frustrating to deal with these problems while they’re supposed to be focusing on getting behind their team.

The Super Eagles are well known for having an incredibly passionate fanbase, but unfortunately, only a limited amount of supporters were able to make it to Kaliningrad for the game against Croatia – which they eventually lost. The Russian transportation network was pinpointed as one of the biggest culprits behind the mess, but now that their second game is just a few hours away, they’ll be turning their attention towards helping Nigeria towards a much-needed victory over Iceland. Whether or not they’ll be able to succeed remains to be seen, although Croatia’s win over Argentina has certainly opened the door for them.