Nigerian Teams Qualify For Handball Challenge Final

Two national teams at the ongoing IHF Challenge tournament in Ghana have qualified for the finals of the competition, an official of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) has said.

President of HFN, Dauda Yusuf, made the disclosure in a telephone interview with The Tidesports source on Friday in Lagos.

He expressed delight over the performance of the national team players, describing them as “competent future stars and good ambassadors.

“I am proud and happy to be identified with the boys and girls because even at this stage, they have exhibited potential that Nigerians can be proud of,’’ Yusuf said.

The president said he was optimistic that the teams would maintain their distinctive performance to the end of the tournament by winning the trophy.

HFN’s Technical Director,   Musa Hamza, said the Nigerian male team defeated their Ghanaian counterparts, 29-24, while the female team out-played their Niger Republic opponents, 30-7 to move into the finals.

Hamza said that the Nigerian side would meet their Beninois counterparts in the finals in both categories.

According to him, the national teams’ performances have been outstanding, making handball fans and indeed, Nigerians resident in Ghana to applaud them.

“The hall was always full to the brim, whenever the Nigerian teams were playing. This is because they followed their progress with keen interest,’’ he stated.

The technical director, urged Nigerians to pray for the teams as they play in the finals.