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Tag: WAFU B

  • 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.

  • Surprise! as two Nigerian referees listed for WAFU B tournament in Ghana

    Surprise! as two Nigerian referees listed for WAFU B tournament in Ghana

    Two Nigerian referees have been selected to officiate at the forthcoming 2024 U17 WAFU B Championship scheduled to hold in Ghana as from May 16.

    The organizer of the 2024 U17 WAFU B Championship recently  released the list of the officials listed for the upcoming tournament in Ghana.

    Eight West African  countries including the host Ghana and the defending champions Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will participate in the competition.

    The eight countries have been grouped into two groups of four each to execute the competition starting from May 16.

    The  update from WAFU says 14 officials were listed, including 7 center referees and 7 assistant referees.

    Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Salihu Basheer was listed as one of the referees while Muhammad Yakubu will make do with the assistant referee role at the competition.

    The championship will start on the 16th of May and end on the 30th of May.

    The two finalists will automatically qualify for the African U-17 championship scheduled to hold later in the year in Algeria.

    The winner and two runners-up in Algeria will represent Africa at the U-17 World Cup to be hosted by Qatar later in the year.

  • 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.

  • WAFU U20 Women: Ivorien official, Natacha Konan, to take charge of Ghana, Nigeria

    WAFU U20 Women: Ivorien official, Natacha Konan, to take charge of Ghana, Nigeria

    The Confederation of African Football has appointed Ivorien official, Natacha Gerardine Konan as referee for Saturday’s WAFU B U20 Women Championship final match between arch-rivals Nigeria and Ghana in Kumasi.

     

    Her compatriot, Ndeko Edwige Appia will be the assistant referee 1, while the Burkinabe duo of Ami Kouma and Jacqueline Nikiema will be assistant referee 2 and fourth official respectively. Baptista Mariette Toi from Benin Republic will serve as match commissioner and Ghanaian Augustina Fugah will be in the role of referee assessor.

     

    The match commences at 6.30pm Ghana time (7.30pm Nigeria time) at the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi on Saturday.

     

    For the third-place match, starting at 3pm Ghana time the same day and venue, between Burkina Faso and Benin Republic, CAF has appointed Edoh Kindedji from Togo as the referee. She will be assisted by Sakina Hamidou Alfa from Niger Republic (assistant 1), Beauty Kabenda Terah from Nigeria (assistant 2) and Ghanaian Rita Boateng-Nkansah (fourth official).

     

    Nigerian Ruth David will serve as match commissioner while Augustina Fugah from Ghana will be the referee assessor.

  • WAFU U20 Women Tourney: Super Falconets trounce Benin Republic 3-0 to reach Final

    WAFU U20 Women Tourney: Super Falconets trounce Benin Republic 3-0 to reach Final

    Nigeria strolled to a 3-0 win over Benin Republic in the second semi-final of the WAFU B U20 Women Championship in Kumasi on Wednesday, easily picking their ticket to the Final match to be decided on Saturday at the same Baba Yara Stadium.

    Expectedly, the World Cup quarter-finalists didn’t have to break much sweat on the night, with Amina Omowunmi Bello putting them in front in the 23rd minute of the game.

    Precocious attacking midfielder Esther Onyenezide hit a brace, scoring first in the 34th and then in the 52nd minute to put daylight between both teams in Ghana’s second city.

    Nigeria’s Chinyere Kalu was selected as Most Valuable Player of the Match.

    Hosts Ghana won the first semi final match, defeating Burkina Faso’s Dames 3-1 to reach the final on Saturday.

    Saturday’s final jangles the bell of the interesting rivalry between Ghana and Nigeria at all levels of the game, and the hosts would wish they could stop the 19-goal Falconets who are already looking like champions-in-waiting.

    Tournament top scorer Opeyemi Ajakaye did not add to her tally on Wednesday night, but Saturday’s final is a great opportunity for her to raise her total haul for the championship.

  • WAFU U20 Women Tourney: Falconets eye another goal rush against Burkina Faso

    WAFU U20 Women Tourney: Falconets eye another goal rush against Burkina Faso

    With a harvest of 13 goals from their two matches so far, in which they bagged maximum six points, Nigeria’s Falconets are looking forward to another goal-haul against their counterparts from Burkina Faso in Kumasi on Sunday.

    The two-time World Cup silver-medallists are determined to take the wind off the sails of the Burkina Faso dames when both teams clash at the WAFU B U20 Women Championship inside the Paa Joe Stadium.

    Burkina Faso’s U20 girls turned back their counterparts from Niger Republic 8-0, only three days after the Falconets had trashed the same team 7-0.

    Both Nigeria and Burkina Faso have reached the tournament’s semi-finals, but the Falconets will insist on drawing the line between themselves and the fellow West African girls when the chips are down.

    Both teams commence hostilities at the Paa Joe Stadium at 4pm, with Togo and Niger Republic also doing the same business from the same time at the Baba Yara Stadium.

  • WAFU B: Falconets spank Togo 6-0

    WAFU B: Falconets spank Togo 6-0

    On a day that Nigeria’s U20 boys whiplashed more fancied Italy 2-0 at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina, Nigeria’s U20 girls were also in the spirit, flogging Togo’s U20 girls 6-0 at the ongoing WAFU B U20 Women’s Tournament in Kumasi, Ghana.

    Aminat Omowunmi Bello put Nigeria in front in the 11th minute, and only 60 seconds later, Flourish Sebastine made it two. On the half-hour, midfielder Esther Onyenezide got in on the act with a third goal that put daylight between the Falconets and their Togolese counterparts.

    Bello was again on song in the 59th minute, and two minutes later, Opeyemi Ajakaye, who netted a hat-trick in the 7-0 pounding of Niger Republic on Sunday, got her fourth goal of the tournament.

    Not done yet, the FIFA World Cup quarter-finalists got a sixth in the 76th minute as Sebastine notched her brace.

    The Falconets have a final group phase clash with Burkina Faso (8-0 winners over Niger Republic) on Sunday, but they are already assured of a place in the last four with maximum six points and 13 goals advantage.

  • WAFU B Tourney: Falconets look forward to another big win, against Togo

    WAFU B Tourney: Falconets look forward to another big win, against Togo

    Still thrilled by their 7-0 spanking of the U20 girls of Niger Republic in the opening match of Group B of the WAFU B U20 Women Championship ongoing in Kumasi, Nigeria’s Falconets cannot wait for Wednesday to fire from all cylinders once more, against their Togolese counterparts, in order to reach the tournament’s semi-finals before their match against Burkina Faso on Sunday.

    Forward Opeyemi Ajakaye, who won a FIFA U17 World Cup bronze medal with the Flamingos in India last year, turned up with a hat-trick, and defender Jumoke Alani and midfielder Chinyere Kalu were also among the goals as the World Cup quarter-finalists steamrolled the girls from Niamey on Sunday.

    Victory over the Togolese on Wednesday will assure the Falconets of a place in the semi finals, which is why they will pull no punches right from kickoff by 6pm at the Baba Yara Stadium.

    On Sunday, the Falconets will be up against Burkina Faso in the last match of Group B, scheduled for the Paa Joe Stadium also in Kumasi.

    Hosts Ghana head Group A which also has the Republic of Benin and Cote d’Ivoire.