WAFU B U20 Boys Tourney: Flying Eagles strategise to stop rampaging Ivorians in final

Nigeria’s U20 boys, Flying Eagles know they must be at their very best to surmount the challenge of in-form Young Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in Wednesday’s Final match of the WAFU B U20 Boys Tournament in Accra, Ghana. 

The Ivorians have taken no prisoners at this tournament, winning all their four previous matches. They edged Burkina Faso 2-1 in their first match, and went on to conquer Niger Republic and Togo with 1-0 and 2-0 scorelines in their other two matches in the group phase.

In Sunday's semi finals, they came from behind to defeat host nation Ghana 2-1, underscoring their strength, resilience and adversity quotient. 

Forward Mohammed Abdullahi earned Nigeria a point with an 84^th minute equalizer against the Black Satellites of Ghana in the competition’s opening match, and the Flying Eagles then came from behind to rout Benin Republic’s U20 boys 4-1 in the three-team group A. 

In their semi final, two-time FIFA U20 World Cup runners-up Nigeria edged the U20 boys of Niger Republic 4-3 after a penalty shootout, following 0-0 in regulation time. 

There will be plenty of fireworks at Ghana’s Centre of Excellence in Prampram on Wednesday, with the Nigerian President of WAFU B, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau (MON), seated alongside other top officials of WAFU at the grand finale.

Wednesday’s encounter is an opportunity for Head Coach Aliyu Zubair to put some polish on his rising reputation as a winner, having led the Flying Eagles to win the WAFU B U20 Championship in Togo last year and coming away with a FIFA World Cup ticket from the U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt a couple of months ago. 

Mohammed Abdullahi and Ezekiel Kpangu are the players to watch out for in the Nigerian side, while Abdoul Bamba and Ali Kone constitute potent threats at the fore of the Ivorians. 

Sport Integrity Foundation presents half-year report of activities in Nigeria football 

The Nigeria Football Federation on Tuesday received an independent Mid-Year report of Activities in Nigeria Football from the Sport Integrity Foundation.

NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi (MON) hailed the efforts of the Foundation and praised it for contributing its quota as partners-in-progress to moving Nigeria football, which is in line with the objectives of the Ibrahim Gusau-led administration to inspire all stakeholders to contribute what they can to grow the Nigeria game. 

"We're very impressed to see such initiative coming from your organisation. The NFF cannot see everything but having organisations like yours delights us. You are becoming an important eye for the integrity of the game.

“The NFF board is very committed to ethics and integrity and we're doing everything to make sure that anybody trying to bring the game into disrepute will be punished. We also need the collaboration of law enforcement agencies so that when we pass resolutions, such individuals can be punished within the ambit of the law," Dr Sanusi said. 

The delegation of Sport Integrity Foundation included Abiola Shodiya, Co-ordinator and; Sammy Ejegwa, Georgina Bode and Taofeek Lawal, who are members.

PHOTO: Sanusi (second from left), Shodiya (second from right), Bode (right) and Ejegwa (left).