Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi said
Friday he was unperturbed by
the attempts of several high-
spirited fans to invade the pitch
during a training session ahead
of their World Cup opener.
Hundreds of football supporters
were in the stands of the
stadium in Campinas to witness
the African champions go
through their paces, chanting
and waving flags.
But midway through the training
session a number of people,
mainly young boys, got onto the
pitch and attempted to evade
security staff as they made a
beeline for the players.
One youngster in a Brazil shirt
was tackled to the ground before
being led away, while a man got
as far as a knot of Nigerian
players.
But despite the febrile
atmosphere in the old concrete
stadium in the city near Sao
Paulo, the players did not look
remotely concerned, focusing on
their drills.
Keshi played down the incidents,
saying he was not worried.
“These are kids. It’s all about
emotion and passion,” he said.
“The kids see the players on
TV and now they see them live
and they just want to touch their
skin, touch them.”
At the end of the session the
Nigerians waved to the cheering
fans in the stands.
Nigeria’s first match of the World
Cup is on Monday, when they
take on Iran in Curitiba in a
Group F clash.
