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.
Vice president of the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC), Chief Solomon Ogba, foremost Sports Marketer and founder of Okpekpe Road Race, Mike Itemuagbor and top Sports Journalist and Media Strategist, Mitchel Obi have lent their voices in support of the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF).
The personalities with backgrounds in sports administration, marketing and media spoke separately in commendation of the festival, an initiative of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with Dunamis Icon as consultants.
“This is a positive addition to the evolving sports business ecosystem because it is not just a springboard for identifying talents, it also offers a platform to truly hone the skills of those already discovered”, remarked Obi, who served as Special Advisor to a former Sports Minister, late Anthony Ikhazabor.
He said the festival will be a flagship event in the region that would trigger interest in sports among the youths and people of the region.
Edo State-born Itemuagbor commended the NDDC for the decision to add sports in the list of their intervention projects in the region, adding that: “This speaks directly to the problem of youth restiveness which is of great concern to our people.”
Raphael Onyedika has now emerged as a major doubt for the Super Eagles’ must-win 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe later this month.
The midfielder was forced out early from last week’s league game against Standard Liege.
He has not recovered from the injury and so will miss today’s league match against Gent and may also miss a UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash against Aston Villa yesterday.
The Super Eagles take on Rwanda in Kigali on March 21, before they face Zimbabwe in Uyo four days later in crucial World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Al-Khalood defender, William Troost-Ekong, has shared his experience on the difficulties of winning the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) while describing it a must win trophy.
The former Watford FC defender has competed in the tournament three times but has yet to lift the trophy.
“I’ve been there three times now, bronze medal, silver medal, but I haven’t had the chance to win it. That remains my ultimate goal,” he told Tidesports source.
“It means so much to me and all the kids growing up in Africa and Nigeria.”