Nigeria’s Head Coach, Nduka Ugbade, has admitted that his side is under pressure to perform well at the Africa U17 Cup of Nations that began in Algeria Saturday.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the Golden Eaglets’ clash with Zambia today at the Stade Chahid Hamlaoui, the former FIFA Cadet World Cup-winning captain said every team would be super determined and work extra hard to try and beat the five-time world champions.
“We are under pressure. We know that every team wants to beat Nigeria. I am not so much interested in the trophy as in the development of the players, and the beauty of the game,” Ugbade stated.
“These are young players. You can never say after all your preparations what comes next because you are playing technically, you are also playing tactically and also have to consider the psychological discipline of the players. We want the players to be disciplined to go for 90 minutes to emerge victorious.
“To achieve this, we want to do everything humanly possible within the context of our strength and capacity to see that every team that comes against us is subdued.”
Nigeria won the Africa U17 Cup of Nations in 2001 and 2007, the same number of times as Cameroon, Ghana, Mali and The Gambia. Cameroon and Mali, alongside Burkina Faso (one-time winners) and South Sudan will battle it out in Group C. Hosts Algeria, Senegal, Congo and Somalia will duel in Group A.
Meanwhile, Head Coach Chris Danjuma has called to camp 30 players as Nigeria’s U20 girls, Falconets begin preparations on Monday for next month’s WAFU B U20 Women’s Championship taking place in Ghana.
Danjuma has included some players from his FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup quarter-finalists in Costa Rica as well as some from the bronze medal-winning Flamingos from the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in India, alongside a couple of new faces.
Goalkeeper Faith Omilana, defenders Blessing Sunday and Miracle Usani, midfielders Esther Onyenezide and Taiwo Afolabi, and forwards Opeyemi Ajakaye and Flourish Sebastine are standout names from the pack.
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