Sports

NFF Appoints Balele, Olopade, Mukhtar Advisers on age-grade National Teams

Published

3 years ago

October 19, 2022

Joel Ajayi

President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has appointed respected football administrator and Chairman of Katsina State Football Association, Alhaji Aminu Balele Kurfi and sports marketing guru, Hon. Bukola Olopade as part of a three-man panel of advisers for preparations of age-grade National Teams for upcoming major international competitions.

The age grade National team includes, Under 17, Uder 20 and U23 Teams.

The empanelling of the football experts, which also includes Alhaji Abba Mukhtar, has been done pending the composition of Sub-Committees by the new NFF Executive Committee, and the panel will be inaugurated on Thursday, 20^th October at the NFF Secretariat by Alhaji Gusau.

The U23 National Team, also known as Olympic Eagles, will engage their Tanzanian counterparts in a two-legged second-round fixture, starting with the first leg in Dar es Salaam on Sunday and the return session in Ibadan next week Saturday. Victory on aggregate will take the Olympic Eagles to the next round of the qualifiers, which final tournament has been scheduled for the Kingdom of Morocco 2^nd – 26^th November 2023.

Already, the U20 and U17 Boys’ squads have qualified for their continental competitions, by winning their respective WAFU B tournaments earlier this year. The U20 boys, Flying Eagles conquered all in Niamey, Niger Republic in May while the U17 boys, Golden Eaglets were triumphant in Cape Coast, Ghana in June.

The U20 Africa Cup of Nations will be staged in Egypt 20^th February – 12^th March 2023 with the top four teams qualifying to represent Africa at next year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Indonesia.

The U17 Africa Cup of Nations will be staged in Algeria 8^th – 30^th April 2023 with the top four teams qualifying to represent Africa at next year’s FIFA U17 World Cup finals in Peru

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Sports

35 Days to Go: Nigeria Set to Host African Junior Athletics Championship in Abeokuta

Published

2 hours ago

June 9, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

With just 35 days to go, Nigeria is revving up preparations to host the 3rd edition of the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) African Junior Athletics Championship, scheduled to take place from July 16 to 20, 2025, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Returning to Nigerian soil, the prestigious biennial event will welcome the continent’s most promising Under-18 and Under-20 athletes to the newly refurbished MKO Abiola International Stadium, which recently played host to the 22nd National Sports Festival.

Over 500 athletes from more than 50 African nations are expected to compete in this year’s championship, making it one of the largest gatherings of young athletic talent on the continent.

South Africa, the reigning overall champions, will be looking to defend their title, but Nigeria’s young stars are also eager to make a strong statement on home soil.

“This is not just a competition; it is a celebration of Africa’s future in track and field,” Hon. Bukola Olopade, DG of the National Sports Commission said.

“Nigeria is honored to host once again and to demonstrate its world-class capacity in organizing major sporting events,” he added.

The choice of Abeokuta—also known as the Gateway City—underscores the state’s growing reputation as a hub for sports development, alongside other Nigerian cities. With its state-of-the-art facilities and strategic location, the city is set to deliver an unforgettable experience for athletes, officials, and fans alike.

The CAA African Junior Championships is widely regarded as the breeding ground for the continent’s future Olympic and world champions.

As the countdown continues, all eyes will be on Nigeria to once again rise to the occasion and reinforce its status as Africa’s true sporting giant.

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