Ahead of this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifying matches, Head Coach Akeem Busari has described leading Nigeria’s Flamingos as a great honour. Busari was recently appointed by the Nigeria Football Federation to helm the side that won the bronze medal at the 2022 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
His comments come as the team prepares for their second-round qualifying fixture against the winner of the preliminary clash between the U17 women’s national teams of Niger Republic and Guinea. In the first leg of the preliminary round, Guinea defeated hosts Niger Republic 5-2 in Niamey, giving them a significant advantage ahead of the return leg in Conakry this weekend.
“Serving the nation is an honour for me, and for the rest of the coaching crew. We are all ready to give this our best shot. We are presently trying to put our heads together as we prepare the team for the second-round fixture. We are looking to see how best to prepare the girls, play a few games, and put the team in match shape,” said the former Pacesetter Queens gaffer.
Busari has invited 36 players to camp, including five goalkeepers, 10 defenders, 13 midfielders, and eight forwards, as he seeks to build a competitive squad for the qualifiers.
The first leg of the second-round fixture is scheduled for the weekend of 22nd–24th May, with Nigeria hosting the return leg on Saturday, 30th May.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
