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Tag: FIFA U-20 World Cup

  • Why we lost to South Korea – Bosso

    Why we lost to South Korea – Bosso

    Flying Eagles head coach, Ladan Bosso has reacted to his team’s ouster at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina.

    According to Bosso, the Flying Eagles lost due to poor finishing.

    The Nigerian boys lost 1-0 to the Taeguk Warriors of South Korea in their quarter-final clash on Sunday night.

    Choi Seokhyun rose up to nod home the winner in the 95th minute of the encounter and the goal proved to be the decider,

    South Korea will now face Italy in the quarter-finals on Thursday.

    Bosso eulogized his players for their performance in the game but hinted they were let down by their poor finishing.

    “We tried our best but it wasn’t good enough. Our finishing wasn’t good. But you can see we’ve left a group of players for the federation to build on,” he said.

  • Argentina 2023: Flying Eagles draw Colombia 3-3, set to face Dominican Republic on Sunday

    Argentina 2023: Flying Eagles draw Colombia 3-3, set to face Dominican Republic on Sunday

    Fit-fighting Nigeria battled to a 3-3 draw with Colombia in Tuesday’s pre-FIFA U20 World Cup friendly match at the Estadio 20 October in Tristán Suárez, Buenos Aires.

     

    Colombia went ahead in the tie after 26 minutes when central defender Abel Ogwuche put the ball past his own goalkeeper Chijioke Aniagboso.

     

    The seven-time African champions levelled up in the 44th minute when winger Jude Sunday fired a scorching shot from outside the box, but the South Americans were soon back in the lead before half-time after they converted from the penalty spot.

     

    The Colombians, who play in Group C of the tournament against African champions Senegal, Japan and Israel, increased the tally in the 73rd minute to leave the Flying Eagles panting. But winger Ibrahim Mohammed pulled one back just four minutes later and Emmanuel Umeh, one of the scorers in the 3-2 defeat of Argentine second division team Almirante Brown on Friday evening, evened things up in the 89th minute.

     

    Head Coach Isah Ladan Bosso was full of warm words for the leadership of Nigeria Football Federation for organizing the friendly with Colombia.

     

    “We thank the NFF leadership for organizing such a good test for the team. I am happy with the result. This will bolster the team mentally and psychologically for the World Cup starting in a few days. The match has provided us with a stiff test and has also strengthened us for the big task ahead,” Bosso told thenff.com at the final whistle.

     

    “We are focused on the big challenge ahead, which is to put up a creditable performance that will match the pedigree of our country at this championship. Our ultimate target is to have a good campaign and with this result, we will be very ready for our first match against the Dominican Republic on Sunday.”

     

    The match against Colombia drew the curtain on the Flying Eagles’ activities in Buenos Aires, and they will fly into Mendoza on Wednesday afternoon ahead of their first game against the Dominican Republic on Sunday. Their second match, against Italy on Wednesday next week, will also take place in Mendoza.

  • FIFA strips Indonesia of U-20 hosting right over political turmoil with Israel

    FIFA strips Indonesia of U-20 hosting right over political turmoil with Israel

    The Asian country of Indonesia  has been stripped of the FIFA U-20 World Cup hosting right owing to its political turmoil regarding the qualification of Israel.

     FIFA made it known that Indonesia wasn’t ready to stage the tournament meant to start on the 20th of May 2023.

    FIFA came up with the decision to withdraw the hosting right from Indonesia after a meeting it held in Doha between president Gianni Infantino and Indonesian soccer federation president Erick Thohir.

    Israel qualified for its first Under-20 World Cup in June. The country’s participation in Friday’s scheduled draw in Bali provoked political opposition this month.

    Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation and does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel, while publicly supporting the Palestinian cause.

    Indonesia’s hosting was cast into doubt on Sunday when FIFA postponed the draw.

    It is unclear who could now host the tournament, which was scheduled to be played in six stadiums in Indonesia.

    Indonesian outlet The Jakarta Post reported earlier in March that the governor of Bali Wayan Koster wrote to the Ministry of Youth and Sports urging them to ‘adopt a policy forbidding the Israeli team from competing in Bali’, due to the ongoing conflict with Palestine.

    This letter was also addressed to the Indonesian FA who said in a statement: ‘Previously, Bali governor Wayan Koster rejected the presence of the Israeli national team in the FIFA U-20 World Cup event… This can be a reason for FIFA to cancel the U-20 World Cup draw.

    ‘Because, for FIFA, the governor’s refusal is the same as cancelling the organising guarantee that has been issued by the Bali provincial government.’

    Earlier this month, a significant protest took place in Jakarta – the capital of Indonesia – where protesters marched and waved Indonesian and Palestinian flags and demanded Israel shouldn’t be allowed to participate in the tournament.

    Indonesian FA Executive Committee member Arya Sinulingga insisted he was worried if they lost hosting rights it could ‘isolate Indonesian football from the world’.

    Sinulingga also explained he hoped a solution could be found to keep politics and sport separate and the Indonesian FA is planning to coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to find a solution.

    He added: ‘The chairman (Erick Thohir) will also report to Mr President at the first opportunity to find a solution to all this, both diplomacy and foreign policy… to save Indonesian football that we love.’

    The governing body also argued that losing the rights would impact their ability to compete in other FIFA tournaments and explained how the economic losses could reach ‘trillions of rupiah’.

    As hosts, they automatically qualified for the tournament with Indonesia not having featured in an Under-20 World Cup since 1979.

    It is not the first time, the Indonesian FA have faced political turmoil however, with the country suspended by FIFA for nearly a year after government interference, until this was lifted in May 2016.

    Indonesian President Joko Widodo also claimed his administration is doing all they can to save the Under-20 World Cup.

  • Tension as FIFA U-20 world Cup may be cancelled over Indonesia- Israel animosity

    Tension as FIFA U-20 world Cup may be cancelled over Indonesia- Israel animosity

    The Indonesian soccer federation said on Sunday that FIFA postponed the men’s Under-20 World Cup finals draw because of host nation Indonesia’s issues with Israel’s qualification.

    The decision was announced five days before FIFA was due to make the 24-nation draw Friday on the island of Bali for the May 20 – June 11 tournament, which includes debutant Israel.

    The governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, called for a ban on Israel playing there because of Indonesia’s diplomatic support for the Palestinian cause.

    The six stadiums due to be used for the 52-game tournament include one in the Balinese city of Gianyar.

    Protests against Israel’s participation were also held in the Indonesian capital Jakarta last week by conservative Islamic groups.

    Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, with about 277 million people, and it does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel.

    However, Indonesian soccer and public authorities agreed to FIFA’s hosting requirements in 2019 before being selected to host the 2021 edition of the Under-20 World Cup. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the tournament to be postponed for two years.

    Israel qualified last June for its first-ever Under-20 World Cup when it reached the semifinals of the Under-19 European Championship. The team went on to lose the final to England.

    FIFA declined to comment Sunday on the draw being postponed just eight weeks before the opening game.

    If Indonesia fails to resolve its hosting issues over Israel, the national soccer federation risks being suspended by FIFA. That sanction can remove Indonesia from Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup that starts in October.

    The Indonesia soccer federation president is Erick Thohir, a former co-owner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. He is also a former president of Inter Milan, the storied Italian soccer club whose fans include FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

    Thohir and Infantino are also both members of the International Olympic Committee.

  • Indonesia 2023: Nigeria’s nemesis, Portugal and Argentina, fail to reach World Cup finals

    Indonesia 2023: Nigeria’s nemesis, Portugal and Argentina, fail to reach World Cup finals

    Portugal, who got the better of Nigeria in a 2-0 in the Final of the FIFA U20 World Cup in Riyadh in 1989, and Argentina, who beat the Flying Eagles to the trophy in The Netherlands in 2005, have both failed to make the cut as the field for this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Indonesia filled up at the weekend.

    Europe’s flag bearers will be England, France, Israel, Italy and Slovakia, while South America will be represented by Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia and Ecuador – leaving out both Portugal and Argentina from the equation. Even Cup holders Ukraine got bumped in the qualifying race.

    All 24 finalists have emerged following the conclusion of the Africa U20 Cup in Egypt at the weekend, with champions Senegal, vice champions The Gambia, third-placed Nigeria and fourth-placed Tunisia to bear the touch for the continent.

    Reigning vice champions Korea Republic, Uzbekistan, Iraq and Japan will be flying Asia’s flag, while USA, Honduras, Guatemala and Dominican Republic will represent North and Central America. Fiji and New Zealand will bear the flag of Oceania.

    All the teams will be in the four different pots for the Draw to be conducted at the Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Centre in Denpasar, Bali with Nigeria already slotted into Pot 3. African champions Senegal stay in Pot 1 alongside Italy, USA and France while The Gambia and Tunisia have homes in Pot 4.

    The teams will be drawn in six groups of four teams each, with the top two teams from each group and the four best third-place finishers in the six groups making the progress to the Round of 16.

    Ukraine won the last championship in France in 2019, having defeated Korea Republic 3-1.

  • Flying Eagles to know 2023 U-20 FIFA world Cup group opponents on March 31st

    Flying Eagles to know 2023 U-20 FIFA world Cup group opponents on March 31st

    The Flying Eagles of Nigeria will on March 31st know their  2023 U-20 FIFA world Cup group opponents .

    Indonesia will host the competition from May 20 to June 11.

    The Flying Eagles booked a spot in the competition after beating the Hippos of Uganda in their quarter-final tie at the ongoing 2023 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in Egypt on Wednesday.

    Senegal, Gambia and Tunisia are the other African countries that have qualified for the competition.

    The Flying Eagles last featured at the U-20 World Cup in Poland in 2019. where they made it to the Round of 16.

    They made it to the final twice in 1989 and 2005.

  • U-20 World Cup: Flying Eagles arrive in Lodz for Senegal clash

    U-20 World Cup: Flying Eagles arrive in Lodz for Senegal clash

    The delegation of Nigeria’s national under-20 male football team arrived in the city of Lodz on Saturday afternoon.

    Ademola Olajire, Director of Communications at Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), said the team were in the Polish city ahead of their FIFA Under-20 World Cup Round of 16 game on Monday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Flying Eagles are billed to face fellow African flagbearers Senegal.

    “Players and officials left their Qubus Hotel in Bielsko-Biala after breakfast and arrived in Poland’s third largest city just in time for lunch at the Hotel Ambasador Premium,” Olajire said in a statement on Saturday.

    Nigeria had finished third in Group D and only qualified as one of the best four third–place finishers in the six groups.

    Senegal, Africa’s vice-champions, finished at the top of Group A after two wins and a draw.

    The seven-times African champions are yet to truly impress in Poland since their opening day 4-0 lashing of Qatar in .

    They had won with goals from Maxwell Effiom, Henry Offia, Ayotomiwa Dele-Bashiru and Aliu Salawudeen.

    A 0-2 loss to the U.S. and 1-1 draw with Ukraine, both in Bielsko-Biala, meant the Flying Eagles had to sneak into the knockout rounds.

    “But the spirit in camp is high following qualification, and the prospect of squaring up to another African team appears to be engendering unspoken steel determination in the playing body,” the NFF spokesman had added.

    Nicknamed “The Promised Land”, Lodz however does not hold much promise for the African army.

    This early knockout round confrontation between Nigeria and Senegal means depleted African presence going forward.

    Already, South Africa’s Amajita are back in Johannesburg following group stage elimination.

    The other African team, Mali, will have to battle Argentina at the same stage on Tuesday evening.

    Half of the Round of 16 fixtures are all-Confederation clashes.

    Apart from Nigeria/Senegal, South American representatives Uruguay and Ecuador are up against each other, as Asians Japan and South Korea, and European teams Italy and Poland.

    The 18,000–capacity Stadion Widzewa, where the Flying Eagles tackle Senegal on Monday evening from 7.30pm, will also host the Final match on June 15.

    FIFA U20 WORLD CUP ROUND OF 16 MATCHES

    SUNDAY (JUNE 2)
    Italy Vs Poland (Gdynia)
    Colombia Vs New Zealand (Lodz)

    MONDAY (JUNE 3)
    Uruguay Vs Ecuador (Lublin)
    Ukraine Vs Panama (Tychy)
    Senegal Vs Nigeria (Lodz)

    TUESDAY (JUNE 4)
    Japan Vs Korea Republic (Lublin)
    France Vs USA (Bydgoszcz)
    Argentina Vs Mali (Bielsko-Biala)