27th November, 2012
Nigeria’s U-17 team, the Golden Eaglets are expected to depart the country tomorrow for Bamako, Mali for the final leg of the Morocco 2013 Africa Junior Championship, AJC.
Acting Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Musa Ahmadu disclosed that the team would depart Abuja Wednesday, to acclimatize ahead of the decisive match billed for this weekend.
Ahmadu said: “The Eaglets are training in Abuja because the match would be played on artificial turf and we want them to be familiar with it, I can also inform Nigerians that they are expected to travel to Mali on Wednesday. We don’t want them weather to affect them”.
Continuing, Ahmadu said they have warned the team not to underrate the Malians despite playing the game under protest, “We have told the team that they should go all out against the Malians, though we have tendered a protest letter to the Confederation of African Football, CAF over the true age of the Malian team”.
The Eaglets would go into the tie with a two goals advantage having defeated the Malians in the first leg match played a fortnight ago at the U.J Esuene Stadium, Cross River, Calabar.
Meanwhile, Assistant Coach of the Eaglets to the Nigeria 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where Nigeria came second, Monday Odigie, has advised the team to be ruthless against the Malians.
He noted that if the Eaglets can be ruthless, their opponents would not have the opportunity to play their game, thereby paving way for Nigeria to consolidate on the victory recorded in the first leg.
“There is still work to be done for the Eaglets in Bamako because the Malians would want to employ all the antics at their disposal, they would want to frustrate the Eaglets but if the Eaglets can charge at them it would destroy their game plan and Nigeria would qualify for the junior Nations Cup”.
Nigeria missed out of the last two editions of the tourney.