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Tag: Golden Eaglets

  • WAFU B: Golden Eaglets, Burkina Faso share spoils in Group B opener

    WAFU B: Golden Eaglets, Burkina Faso share spoils in Group B opener

    Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets and Burkina Faso played out a goalless draw when both teams clashed n their Group B fixture at the University Stadium, Accra, on Thursday in the ongoing WAFU Cup.

    The Golden Eaglets dominated the game from start to finish but weren’t clinical in front of goal.

    The Burkinabes failed to create any clear-cut opportunities for the entire duration of the game.

    Manu Garba’s side will take on Niger Republic in their next game on Sunday.

    The Eaglets will play their third group game by Wednesday next week against Benin Republic.

    The top two teams in the group will make it to the semi-final.

    The two finalist will secure qualification to the African U-17 AFCON holding later in the year in Algeria.

  • WAFU B U17 Championship: Manu expresses confidence, as CAF declares Nigeria 100% clean

    WAFU B U17 Championship: Manu expresses confidence, as CAF declares Nigeria 100% clean

    The Confederation of African Football on Tuesday declared that all 20 players presented by Nigeria for the WAFU B U17 Championship starting in Accra, Ghana on Wednesday have passed the examination in flying colours.

    The declaration of eligibility of all the 20 players is testimony that the tests conducted on the players by the Nigeria Football Federation before the team’s departure were perfect, and sets the tone for the country to have a full squad to defend the title she won last year, also in Ghana.

    An ecstatic Head Coach Manu Garba said: “We are happy about the results. Having the whole squad to prosecute the tournament somewhat 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.”

    The Eaglets begin their defence of the title when they confront their counterparts from Burkina Faso at the University Stadium on Thursday, 16th May with kickoff set for 3pm Ghana time (4pm Nigeria time), before matches against Niger Republic on Sunday, 19th May (6pm Ghana, 7pm Nigeria) and Togo on Wednesday, 22nd May (4pm Ghana, 5pm Nigeria).

    The match against Niger Republic will also hold at the University Stadium while the clash with Togo will take place at the Accra Sports Stadium.

  • WAFU B U17 Championship: Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets to storm Accra Saturday for title defense

    WAFU B U17 Championship: Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets to storm Accra Saturday for title defense

    Champions Nigeria will arrive in the Ghanaian capital, Accra on Saturday for the defence of their WAFU B U17 Championship title at this year’s edition of the competition that commences on Wednesday, 15th May.

    The Golden Eaglets, five-time champions of the world, swept aside every opposition before them to achieve glory in another Ghanaian city, Kumasi two years ago, but failed to light up the Africa U17 Cup of Nations in Algeria and were therefore ineligible to compete for another world title in Indonesia.

    However, 2013 FIFA World Cup – winning coach Manu Garba has been restored to the squad and will take charge of the ensemble that will tackle Burkina Faso, Niger Republic and Togo in Group B of the upcoming WAFU B tournament, with the objective being qualification to take part in next year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations.

    Garba will lead a technical crew that has the mandate of not only successfully defending the regional crown, but to continue to improve the squad for a great outing at the U17 AFCON and onwards to a probable sixth world title.

    The Eaglets begin their defence of the title when they confront their counterparts from Burkina Faso at the University Stadium on Thursday, 16th May with kickoff set for 3pm Ghana time (4pm Nigeria time), before matches against Niger Republic on Sunday, 19th May (6pm Ghana, 7pm Nigeria) and Togo on Wednesday, 22nd May (4pm Ghana, 5pm Nigeria).

    The match against Niger Republic will also hold at the University Stadium while the clash with Togo will take place at the Accra Sports Stadium.

  • WAFU B: Our technical crew capable of raising winning team – Golden Eaglets coach, Manu Garba

    WAFU B: Our technical crew capable of raising winning team – Golden Eaglets coach, Manu Garba

    Head Coach Manu Garba has told thenff.com that the technical crew of Nigeria’s U17 boys, Golden Eaglets that he heads, is firmly on course to raise a squad capable of doing Nigeria proud at the forthcoming WAFU B U17 Championship in Ghana.

    The 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup-winning team lead strategist has told Nigerians to discountenance stories of large failures of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests in his team and rather believe that his crew will put together a squad that will do the job of winning a ticket to next year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations from the tournament in Ghana.

    “Let me clear the air on this matter. The genuine U17 players, according to their official document made available to the NFF and the MRI tests conducted by the football body are still in the camp preparing for the WAFU B U17 tournament. When the camp opened last month, the very sincere football academies had to withdraw their players after the MRI tests they conducted showed that their players were on Grade 5. These players had to leave the camp immediately.

    “Those who were not sincere and thought they could find a way through one way or the other have been exposed after the NFF conducted its own MRI a few days ago, and found the results earlier presented by their players before entering the camp did not tally with the requirements of the NFF. The NFF insists on players whose results are between Grade 1 – 4. Players on Grade 5 have been asked to leave the camp.

    Garba denied that his camp had been thrown into confusion due to results of the MRI tests.

    “The good news is that most of the players recorded good grades in their MRI results done at the NFF-approved medical centre, and the team is looking forward to a favourable outing at the WAFU B U17 tournament in Accra, Ghana.”

    Another MRI test will be conducted by the medical team of the Confederation of African Football before the beginning of the tournament.

    The five-time world champions, who are title holders of the WAFU B U17 Championship, will begin the defence of their title against Burkina Faso on the 16 May.

    The team has so far played nine friendly games, winning six, drawing two and losing one.

  • WAFU B: Holders Golden Eaglets to play Burkina Faso May 16 in Accra

    WAFU B: Holders Golden Eaglets to play Burkina Faso May 16 in Accra

    WAFU B defending champions, the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will begin its title defence of this year’s Burkina Faso.

    The encounter will be played at the University Stadium on Thursday, May 16.

    Manu Garba’s boys will play second group B game against Niger at the University Stadium three days later at the same stadium.

    The holder’s final group game against Togo is scheduled for the Accra Stadium on May 22.

    Elsewhere, hosts Ghana will face Cote d’Ivoire in the opening fixture of the competition on Wednesday, May 15.

    The finalists will represent the zone at the Africa Cup U-17 Cup of Nations scheduled to hold in Algeria later in the year.

  • WAFU B: Golden Eaglets draw Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo in Group B

    WAFU B: Golden Eaglets draw Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo in Group B

    The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will play in the Group B of the WAFU Zone B U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

    Manu Garba’s boys have been drawn against Burkina Faso, Niger and Togo in the group B of the tournament.

    Hosts Ghana, Ivory Coast and Benin will face off in Group A.

    The Golden Eaglets started preparations for the competition in Abuja on Thursday.

    Recall that the Golden Eaglets  won the competition two years ago in Cape Coast, Ghana.

    The tournament is scheduled to take place from 15th to 28th May in Accra.

    Two representatives will go ahead to play at U-17 AFCON later in the year.

  • NFF appoints Manu Garba Golden Eaglets’ Head Coach

    NFF appoints Manu Garba Golden Eaglets’ Head Coach

    The Board of Nigeria Football Federation has appointed former U17 World Cup winner,  Manu Garba as Head Coach of the Nigeria U17 boys, Golden Eaglets.

    Ademola Olajire, Director of Communications at NFF announced this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

    Garba had, in the same role, led the Golden Eaglets to win the FIFA U17 World Cup for Nigeria in the United Arab Emirates in 2013.

    Garba’s squad in 2013 included Kelechi Iheanacho, Taiwo Awoniyi, Isaac Success, Musa Mohammed, Chidiebere Nwakali and goalkeeper Dele Alampasu.

    The squad, which finished as runners-up at the African U17 Championship in Morocco after a penalty shootout defeat by Cote d’Ivoire, defeated Mexico 6-1 in their opening game.

    It drew 3-3 with Sweden and hammered Iraq 5-0. In the Round of 16, they defeated Iran 4-1, dispatched Uruguay 2-0 in the quarter-finals and trounced Sweden 3-0 in the semi-finals.

    They went ahead to dislodged Mexico by the same margin in the final to lift the trophy.

    Olajire said Garba will resume immediately and take charge of the team’s preparations for the WAFU B U17 Championship, scheduled for Ghana in May.

  • Why NFF fired national teams coaches, Yusuf, Ugbade

    Why NFF fired national teams coaches, Yusuf, Ugbade

    The Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF) has relieaved U-23  Coach Salisu Yusuf and Golden Eaglet coach, Nduka Ugbade of their duties.

    Both managers were fired due to their team’s woeful performance on the continent.

    Their sack was made public by NFF President Ibrahim Gusau in a chat with pressmen.

    “Their jobs are tied to the competition. The coaches have no jobs to do for now since their teams failed to qualify,” he said.

    Yusuf’s Dream Team failed to qualify for the U-23 African Cup of Nations and, as a result, won’t be part of the next Olympic football event.

    Ugbade’s Golden Eaglets also crashed out of the U-17 African Cup of Nations in the last eight.

    This also cost Nigeria, a five-time world champion, a place at the next World Cup.

  • Golden Eaglets fumble, crash out of U17 AFCON, to miss World Cup

    Golden Eaglets fumble, crash out of U17 AFCON, to miss World Cup

    Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets fumbled on Thursday and crashed out of the ongoing Under 17 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the Golden Eaglets lost 1:2 against Burkina Faso in the quarter-final encounter in Algiers, failing to qualify for the U17 FIFA World Cup.

    Aboubacar Camara found the back of the Golden Eaglets’ net with a rebound, which Tochukwu Ogboji failed to clear in the 45th minute of play, putting Burkina Faso one foot forward.

    Camara again pulled the trigger in the 57th minute of play, scoring from the penalty spot after another blunder from Ogboji, which saw him tripped on Souleymane Alio in the penalty area.

    Nigeria, however, responded 10 minutes later via a simple tap-in by Abubakar Abdullahi to reduce the goal deficit for the home team.

    Assisted by Favour Daniel, following a corner, Abdullahi’s tap-in came in for the Golden Eaglets in the 67th minute but was not enough to turn the game on its head as the game finished in favour of their opponents.

    TNG reports the result means Nigeria could not secure a ticket to the 2023 FIFA Under 17 World Cup in November, after failing to reach the semi-finals of the ongoing AFCON.

    Meanwhile, Morrocco, Mali, Senegal and Burkina Faso have all booked places at this year’s Under 17 FIFA World Cup, having qualified for the semi-finals of the ongoing AFCON.

  • Algeria 2023: Burkina Faso can’t stop us – Ugbade

    Algeria 2023: Burkina Faso can’t stop us – Ugbade

    Nigeria’s U17 Boys, Golden Eaglets have not come as far as the quarter-finals of the Africa U17 Cup of Nations to be dumped out of the competition without earning a World Cup ticket, says Head Coach Nduka Ugbade.

    The Golden Eaglets and their officials arrived in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria on Monday, three days ahead of their quarter-final clash with Burkina Faso’s Young Etalons at the Nelson Mandela Stadium.

    “We had an interesting match with South Africa and it has prepared us well for further challenges in the competition. We learnt a lot playing Zambia, Morocco and South Africa – all strong teams – in the group phase and that was good furnace for us to be a better squad.

    “The quarter-final matches will be very hard nuts to crack because that is the step that earns you the World Cup ticket. None of the four games will be easy. Our interest is Burkina Faso and we are working hard towards achieving success.”

    Burkina Faso had an interesting last match of the group phase, coming from behind to defeat and dump out Cup holders Cameroon 2-1 in a truly fascinating encounter.

    Nigeria also came from behind twice to edge South Africa 3-2 in a memorable encounter in Constantine, with the five goals scored by different players on the night.

    Ugbade added: “We have not come this far to drop out. My boys are focused hard on the World Cup ticket. After that, we can then focus on other objectives.”

    The match between Nigeria and Burkina Faso begins at 8pm on Thursday.

    Victory over the Young Etalons will earn Nigeria the opportunity to go for a record-extending sixth FIFA U17 World Cup title.