Flamingos head coach Hakeem Busari has refused to allow Nigeria’s flawless WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup triumph to hide the work still required ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, insisting his players must learn from their shortcomings despite winning the regional title in commanding fashion.
Nigeria completed a perfect campaign in Yamoussoukro on Sunday, sweeping aside Togo 4-0 to finish with five victories from five matches, 17 goals scored and only two conceded.
The triumph was Nigeria’s first WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup title and made the Flamingos the first team to win every match at the tournament.
But Busari believes the championship should be treated as preparation rather than proof that his team is already the finished product.
“There are still deficiencies and we are going to continue working on them,” Busari said while reflecting on the competition.
Captain Harmony Chidi converted two first-half penalties against Togo before Oluebube Umejiaku struck in the 67th minute and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi completed the 4-0 victory in the 90th.
Beyond Nigeria’s success, Busari praised WAFU-B for staging a competition that provided young female footballers across West Africa with an important platform to test themselves.
For the Flamingos, that opportunity was particularly valuable because the tournament was designed as preparation for next month’s World Cup. The NFF had described the competition before kick-off as a “prime preparatory ground” for Nigeria and Ghana.
Nigeria will now turn attention to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, scheduled for October 17 to November 8, where they have been drawn in Group B alongside defending champions North Korea, Poland and Puerto Rico.
Busari therefore leaves Côte d’Ivoire with a trophy, but also with information about what must improve before facing the world’s best.
Five matches, five victories and a championship provide confidence. For Busari, however, the greater value of WAFU-B may be discovering what the Flamingos must fix before Morocco.
