FCT Football Association Chairman, Adam Muktar Mohammed, has promised that the country’s various age-grade teams will soon bounce back to top reckoning.
Muktar Mohammed is a member of the three-man panel appointed by the NFF to oversee the preparations of Nigeria’s age-grade teams – Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 – for crucial international tournaments.
Nigeria made history when they became the first African nation to win Football Gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, while the country is the most successful team at U17 level after the Golden Eaglets scooped five World Cups – 1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015.
He said the panel is fully committed to the responsibility handed it and the result will be that these teams will soon be flying the Nigerian flag higher again in international competitions
“I wish to personally commend the NFF President Ibrahim Gusau for this initiative to re-energise the age-grade team through the task force,” Muktar Mohammed said.
“Nigeria Football must again lay special emphasis on development as well as international exposure through these teams.
“And as a panel, we are ready to lead this revival to international glory for our youth teams.”
Today in India, the Flamingos will hope to make history by reaching the semifinal of the FIFA I17 World Cup at the expense of USA, while tomorrow the country’s U23 men’s team will do battle in Tanzania in an U23 AFCON qualifier.
“We believe the Flamingos can do Nigeria proud in faraway India today by getting to the semifinals of the World Cup,” Muktar Mohammed said.
“They have the total support of all Nigerians to make history for both themselves and the country.
“We are also confident that the U23s will get a result in Tanzania tomorrow so that the return leg match in Ibadan will be a mere formality.”