National Teams
Morocco 2025: Bankole Olowookere urges Flamingos to avoid complacency against South Africa
By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s U17 women’s team, the Flamingos, head coach Bankole Olowookere has issued a stern warning to his players to avoid complacency ahead of their FIFA U17 World Cup qualifying match against South Africa on Saturday.
Despite securing a 3-1 victory in the first leg in Pretoria, Olowookere stressed that the tie is far from over, urging his squad to remain focused and determined in the return leg.
“We are very much aware that it’s never over until it’s over,” Olowookere told NFF media.
“We won 3-1 away, but the contest is still alive. Our mentality is to win on Saturday and make sure of a place in the final qualifying round.”
He also reminded the players of the unpredictable nature of football, citing the example of Côte d’Ivoire’s U17 girls, who turned around a 3-1 deficit in the first leg to defeat Burundi 3-0 in the return leg.
The match is scheduled to take place at the Remo Stars Stadium, with kick-off set for 4 p.m. on Saturday.
The winner will progress to the final qualification round, where they will meet the victor of the fixture between Botswana and Algeria.
