AFCON U23 Qualifier: Sunday Dare, Ogunbote Throw Weights Behind Olympic Eagles

Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare, and head coach of Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) of Ibadan, Gbenga Ogunbote have thrown their weights behind Nigeria U23 Men’s national team to beat Tanzania in this weekend’s first leg of CAF U23 African Nations Cup qualifier in Dare es Salaam.

Sunday Dare was at the Stadium on Wednesday when the U23 team played a 1-1 draw with 3SC in a friendly match ahead of their AFCON qualifier.

“Nigeria’s under-23 male football team will have a good outing against Tanzania on Saturday in Dar es salaam,” Dare assured Nigerians.

Dare expressed hope that the team would have a good outing, urging the players to exhibit their skills in a ruthless manner to secure victory in the game.

The minister said the match against 3SC was an important experiment, considering Ibadan as an historic city and 3SC’s household name in continental football.

Dare continued: “Even Mr President (Muhammadu Buhari) said that football is our asset and national pride. These young ones should know they’re carrying the pride of Nigeria and Nigerians. The friendly between both sides cone at the right time for them to prepare for the task ahead,” he said.

Also, Gbenga Ogunbote, the 3SC Coach, said the under-23 team have a very good team, even as he said “though, there are still some areas to cover”.

He said while their preparation for the match was short, the team was still good enough to catch up with time. “The team consists of good players that can get Nigeria a positive result in Tanzania. I am satisfied with the level of development in the team despite short preparation time.”

The team has been preparing for the two legged games since their camping resumed last week in Ibadan ahead of Saturday’s match against Tanzania.

The Nigeria team will travel to Tanzania on Thursday for the first leg clash in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Under-23 qualifiers against Tanzania.

The second leg of the game would be played at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan on Oct. 29.

While Nigeria was drawn bye in the First Round of the qualifier, Tanzania beat South Sudan to book a faceoff with Nigeria in the Second Round of the qualifier.