Ikeme to make special appearance in friendly against England

Carl Ikeme will make a special appearance during Nigeria’s upcoming friendly game against England.

The Super Eagles goalkeeper is undergoing treatment for leukaemia at the Christie Clinic in Manchester, UK, where officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) visited him on Monday.

The NFF, in a statement made available to TheCable, said Ikeme will perform the traditional kick-off of the game.

“We have come on behalf of the government of Nigeria and the NFF to check up on you, find out how your recovery is going and to tell you that you are still very much on our minds and a member of the Super Eagles of Nigeria,” Ammaju Pinnick, NFF president, said.

“We have also come to seek your permission to be our special guest at the pre-World Cup friendly game against England at the Wembley Stadium on June 2.

“We want you to perform the customary kick-off of that game and if you approve of it, we will immediately request this of The Football Association.”

Alloy Agu, Ikeme’s trainer in the Super Eagles, urged the goalie not to relent in his battle against leukaemia.

“As your goalkeeper coach in the national team, I know you are a fighter, you never give up,” he said.

“I believe these attributes will see you through. We will always be there for you as you recover from this illness.”

Ikeme, moved by the kind words, responded by saying: “I am so overwhelmed by this show of love. I am indeed grateful to Nigerians who daily flood my phone with prayers and well wishes.

“I feel their love everywhere, every day, on social media. I thank the government of Nigeria and the NFF for all the support and I appreciate my teammates so much for being there for me.”