Sports
Golden Eaglets Depart Nigeria For Niger Republic
The Golden Eaglets are ex
pected to depart the country this week for Niamey, Niger Republic, ahead of the 11th African U-17 Championship scheduled to kick-off on February 15.
The Secretary-General of the Nigeria Football Association (NFA), Musa Amadu,said this in Abuja on Wednesday that adequate security arrangement had been made to escort the team from Sokoto to Niamey.
He said that Mohammed Sanusi, NFA’s Director of Competitions would lead the delegation of 21 players.
“Our first game is on Sunday, February 15 against Niger Republic and we are confident that even though Niger is playing at home, we will be able to win this game.
“We know that Niger Republic, just few days ago, played a friendly match with South Africa, which they lost 0-1 in Niamey.
“We are trying to get the tape of that game so that we look at how their team is.
“We are confident that when we play these three matches in the first round, we should be able to get to the semifinals and that guarantees us a place in the World Cup later this year in Chile.
“Two years ago in Marrakech, Morocco, we lost the final to Cote d’ Ivoire, but we want to go to Chile as African Champions and that is the target and objective of the team.“
According to him, the team’s preparation coupled with the harsh weather condition in Sokoto will be enough to see the team to the end.
Amadu explained that none of the players that failed the Magnetic Resonance Imagery (MRI) test was included on the final 21-man list for the championship.
He said: “A group of 60 players were put on the MRI test, which was done at the National Hospital, but a few of them failed.
“Those that failed were not included on the 2-man list, which we have already submitted to CAF since Feb. 7.
It was reported that the Eaglets, who are expected to travel to Niamey by road, have been in Sokoto for nearly 10 days now for the last phase of training in preparation for the championship.
The team is expected to be lodged at the Royal Palace Hotel in Niamey.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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