Nigeria’s cadet national team, Golden Eaglets’ players have brushed aside controversy that erupted over an official training venue ahead of their first match at the West African Football Union (WAFU)-B U17 Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Sports247 reports that the Eaglets faced a torrid time on Tuesday, when they were forced to train at a makeshift base, after the pitch allocated to them by the WAFU-B organisers was taken over by private owners for an unrelated match.
However, rather than allow the setback to cause a distraction in plans for their opening match against the Niger Republic, the Nigerian squad’s officials quickly found an alternative spot for the team to finalise their preparations for Wednesday’s game.
The Eaglets will now aim to defy all odds and overcome tension caused by the unusual setback, as they aim to hit the ground running in their opening game of the competition that serves as qualifiers for the African U17 Cup of Nations.
Coach of the side, Eboboritse Uwejamomere, will also hope his players are now psychologically recharged after the misnomer they faced on Tuesday, which the communications department of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) described as an ‘ugly situation.’
A media statement about the shock development noted in part: “Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets were forced to hold their final training session ahead of their opening match of the ongoing WAFU-B U17 Championship on a termite-infested, five-a-side pitch in Ouagadougou.
“The team had been scheduled to train at the USFA football pitch in Ouagadougou. However, the Nigerian contingent discovered that owners of the facility had scheduled a friendly match for the same time the Eaglets were expected to begin their session.
“The Nigerian team was directed to use a nearby five-a-side pitch beside the main facility. Unfortunately, the pitch had a poor playing surface that was unsuitable for a team preparing for a competitive international tournament.
“The Nigerian youngsters were unhappy about the ugly situation, but the technical crew and the players have resolved to put the untoward happening behind them and focus on Wednesday’s clash with their counterparts from the Niger Republic.”
Sports247 gathered further that Coach Uwejamomere has already charged his boys to go all out in order to take Nigeria back to its glory days, by not only qualifying for the African cadet championship but also going on to win the FIFA U17 World Cup.
However, the five-time world champions (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015) have failed to qualify for the last three editions of the Cadet Mundial, after repeatedly falling at the WAFU-B level, hence the charge for the current squad to put in extra work for success.
After Wednesday’s game versus Niger Republic, Uwejamomere’s wards will also have to stay strong against Cote d’Ivoire in their next fixture of Group B, as well as the semi-final and final, in order to reach next year’s U17 AFCON.
