As views keep emerging from left, right and centre regarding a much-desired revival of Nigeria’s age-grade national teams, a suggestion has come for the country to start hosting sub-regional qualifiers, Sports247 reports.
The suggestion takes note of how Nigeria’s under-17 team (Golden Eaglets) and their under-20 compatriots (Flying Eagles) both often find things tough in the West African Football Union (WAFU)-B zonal qualification championships.
Consequently, the media officer of Enyimba International of Aba, Bethel Kalu has forwarded a suggestion that could see Nigeria host series of qualifiers for the Eaglets and Flying Eagles as well as the CAF Women’s Champions League zonal preliminaries.
Kalu is of a view that Nigeria’s teams would find it easier to scale the WAFU-B hurdle when playing on home turf, while also hinting that politics of the game would swing in their favour as hosts, to prevent a repeat of the recent setback that hit Edo Queens of Benin City.
Though the Benin side had earlier won the WAFU-B final on penalties against Ampem Darkoa Ladies of Ghana, they have been directed to play extra time of the same game, but Kalu opined that such wouldn’t have happened had Nigeria hosted the qualifiers.
He, therefore, extended a plea to the National Sports Commission (NSC) to take the bull by the horn towards ensuring that Nigeria starts hosting regional events, which should become a part of their reforms for the country’s football.
Kalu declared emphatically, “If we want to get a quick route to revival for our youth teams and women clubs. The NSC and NFF should bid to host the next WAFU-B U17 and U20 tournaments in a world cup qualifiers year.
“The U17 world cup is now yearly, hence the NSC should bid to host the regional qualifiers. Also, let us bid to host the WAFU-B CAF Women’s Champions League qualifiers and ultimately bid for the tournament proper.
“We can host these regional qualifiers. It’s now a matter of national importance and should be treated as such. When you host these seemingly less popular regional qualifiers, you give yourself a 50 percent early chance of qualification.”
