The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has given the green light to Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets to compete at the WAFU B U17 Championship set to kick off in Accra, Ghana on Wednesday,
All 20 players presented by Nigeria for the tournament have been declared eligible, marking a successful outcome of the examinations conducted by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) before the team’s departure.
This declaration of eligibility underscores the meticulous testing conducted by the NFF and ensures that Nigeria will have a full squad to defend the title they clinched last year in Ghana.
Head Coach Manu Garba expressed his elation at the positive results, emphasising the importance of having the entire squad available for the tournament.
“We are happy about the results,” Garba said.
“Having the whole squad for the tournament puts our minds at rest.
“The players have been responding to training. The weather is similar to what we experienced in Abuja before our departure. Our primary objective is to get one of the two tickets from here to the Africa U17 Cup of Nations.
“We will focus on the matches one at a time. For now, we are focused on our opening game against Burkina Faso on Thursday.”
Garba outlined the team’s primary objective of securing one of the two tickets available for the Africa U17 Cup of Nations. He noted the importance of taking each match one step at a time, starting with the opening game against Burkina Faso on Thursday.
The Golden Eaglets will kick off their title defense against Burkina Faso at the University Stadium on Thursday, May 16, with kickoff scheduled for 3pm local time in Ghana (4pm Nigeria time).
Subsequent matches include clashes against Niger Republic on Sunday, May 19, and Togo on Wednesday, May 22.
The match against Niger Republic will also be held at the University Stadium, while the showdown with Togo is slated to take place at the Accra Sports Stadium.
With the team fully prepared and determined to succeed, anticipation is high for Nigeria’s performance in the upcoming championship.
