Looking ahead to next 12 months (3)

Several leading figures in world football reflected on the pedigree of the Eaglets in the competition, which they have won THREE TIMES previously and also reached the final on two other occasions.Incidentally, the Head Coach of the present squad, Manu Garba was assistant to the late Yemi Tella when Nigeria last won the competition – […]

Several leading figures in world football reflected on the pedigree of the Eaglets in the competition, which they have won THREE TIMES previously and also reached the final on two other occasions.
Incidentally, the Head Coach of the present squad, Manu Garba was assistant to the late Yemi Tella when Nigeria last won the competition – in South Korea in 2007. One of his assistants, Nduka Ugbade, was captain when the Nigerian boys won the trophy for the first time, in China in 1985.
The other assistant Coaches also did brilliantly at junior level, with Emmanuel Amuneke having been a member of the U-23 National Team that won medal at the All-Africa Games in Cairo in 1991 before stepping up to win the Africa Cup of Nations with Super Eagles in 1994 and playing at the FIFA World Cup finals USA 1994. Emeka Amadi was goalkeeper of the U-20 team that won silver at FIFA U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia in 1989.
The Technical and Development Committee of the NFF did a marvellous job in putting this crew together, and the results have underscored the foresight therein. The boys that we have now are truly very young and able, and in all their matches at home and abroad in the past two years, have only lost to Cote d’Ivoire (at the African U-17 Championship in Morocco).
The foregoing facts give the NFF confidence that just as the Super Eagles are about picking the ticket to the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals in November, the Eaglets would be returning to Nigeria with the FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy.
The results of the U-17 boys in international matches are truly astounding. Niger, Guinea and Mali fell at home and away against a rampant Nigeria side that has shown pace and precision going forward and robustness and good timing at the rear.
The draw has ensured that the Eaglets would have no reason to start the competition on complacent note, with their first match being against world champions Mexico and the second against a devastating Swedish team, and the third against an Iraqi U-17 team rated highly from results it picked from the Asian qualifying series.
Surely, if you must be the best, you have to beat the best. That is the motto for the Nigerian schoolboys as they fly out of the country early next week for final camping programme ahead of the championship.
As I emphasised last week, there is no negotiating the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals ticket with anyone, not even Ethiopia. Our arrangements have been concretised for that game and even for the return match in Calabar on 16th November.
However, we also have eyes on the FIFA U-17 World Cup trophy (to make it FOUR for Nigeria after the Eaglets won in China in 1985, Japan in 1993 and Korea Republic in 2007). Someone whispered to me last week that the Golden Eaglets have won all their World Cup titles on Asian soil! The United Arab Emirates, Nigeria is coming!
Beyond the Super Eagles and Golden Eaglets, the Nigeria Football Federation is working on a programme that will see our various National Teams not only qualify for major competitions coming up within the next 11 months.
In January, the home-based Super Eagles squad will fly to South Africa to participate in the African Nations Championship for the very first time. Already, from the draw made in Cairo last week, we know the opponents would be host South Africa, Mali and Mozambique in the first round of the tournament.
As we speak, the Secretariat in conjunction with the Technical and Development Committee is working on getting a number of friendly matches that will sufficiently prepare the team for the challenge in Cape Town and other cities they will have to play in after the group phase.
In a couple of months, the U-17 girls (Flamingos) will start off the race for the next FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. That tournament will take place in Costa Rica in the month of March next year, but a number of African qualifying matches are due before our girls can be eligible for the World Cup.
Similarly, the U-20 girls will be in action in qualifying games for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which Canada will host in the month of August next year.
Now, we all know about the pedigree of our U-20 girls at the World Cup. In 2006 and 2008, the Falconets went as far as the quarter finals, and in 2010, reached the final of the competition in Germany before losing to the host nation.
Last year, in Japan, the Falconets impressed the world, including FIFA President Sepp Blatter, in reaching the semi finals. The girls will be prepared to go all the way in Canada.
On their part, the Super Falcons will be involved in qualifying series for the 9th African Women Championship, which will take place in Namibia later next year. They must beat Sierra Leone and the winner of Rwanda/Kenya to qualify for Namibia.
We also have it in mind that, after playing in the FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil next year (insha Allah), the Super Eagles will return to Africa for the qualifying matches for 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place in Morocco.
NEXT WEEK:  The League Close To The Tape