A proposed friendly that would have seen the Gambia Baby Scorpions lock horns with the World U-17 champions Nigeria last weekend has been shifted to early next month, the Gambia Football Association has revealed.

The hosts of the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup finals were scheduled to play two friendly matches against the African champions on August 8 and August 11, at the Independence Stadium and Brikama Box Bar stadium respectively, but the warm-up ties were called-off after Nigeria failed to turn up.

An explanatory press statement issued by the Gambia football body has it that the decision to call-up the friendlies came from the Nigeria football officials in Abuja after 16 players of their 22-man squad were found to be over-age following the MRI test conducted recently.

The statement, which was signed by GFA-CAF education officer Abdou Salaam Jammeh, added that the Nigerian football authorities are in process of rebuilding a team, which will be battle ready to face the Baby Scorpions on September 5 and 7, 2009, at the Independence Stadium in Bakau and the Box Bar stadium in Brikama respectively. The rescheduled warm-up matches in September, the statement added, would be a fitting farewell to the Baby Scorpions as they head for their final training camp in the United Kingdom.

The statement further went to register the GFA's sincere apology to the President Sheikh Professor Doctor Alhagi Yahya AJJ Jammeh, members of his cabinet, army of volunteers and the entire football family in the Gambia for the abrupt cancellation of the planned friendlies.