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Golden Eaglets coach Nduka Ugbade reveals biggest challenges ahead of U17 Afcon
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Nigeria U17 coach Nduka Ugbade says his biggest headache is the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test following his invitation of 48 players for screening and training ahead of the 2023 CAF U-17 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The invitees, which include most of the bunch that won the WAFU B U17 Championship in the Ghanaian city of Cape Coast last summer, have been told to report to Abuja on Friday, 20th January 2023.
Golden Eaglets will begin their preparations for this year’s Afcon in Nigeria’s federal capital on Monday and the WAFU-B U17 tournament winning manager has opened up on myriad of issues affecting his side’s build up.
“The biggest challenge is the MRI test and having time. Beyond the biggest challenge of MRI, there is also that of having time to be able to instill the players with information,” Ugbade told Brilla FM.
“All these things take time and cost a lot of money. You have to stay in the hotel for an endless period and all that. We are opening time as soon as possible because we have a very short period within which I have to do the selection of some numbers of players and start instilling our playing philosophy and methodologies.”
The Africa U17 Cup of Nations has been scheduled for Algeria from 8th – 30th April, from which the four top-placed teams will qualify to fly Africa’s flag at the FIFA U17 World Cup finals that will be staged in Peru from 10th November – 2nd December.
Nigeria are five-time champion of the FIFA U17 World Cup after triumphs in China in 1985, Japan in 1993, Korea Republic in 2007, the United Arab Emirates in 2013, and Chile in 2015.
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