Onyebuchi Ezigbo
3 January 2008
Abuja — The newly appointed national female Under-17 coach Mr. Felix Ibeh has promised his Guinean counterpart hell when the Nigerian side locks horns with their West African opponents this weekend.
The coach, who is having his first baptism of fire with the match, told sports writers in Abuja yesterday that his assignment against Guinea this weekend at the Abuja National Stadium would mark the beginning of laurels the country would win this year.
The Guinean female team arrived Tuesday, to honour a qualification match against Nigeria for the inaugural FIFA Female Under-17 Championship, which is expected to hold in November in New Zealand.
Ibeh said he has prepared well to deserve an outright victory to march on to the next stage of the newly introduced FIFA competition.
"We have been working to ensure we over-run Guinea in our first outing. A win will definitely crown our efforts as these little girls were not allowed even a day's break for the Christmas and New Year celebration. We had our Christmas and New Year celebrations on the pitch training," he said.
In another development, the NFA chairman, Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi has restated determination of the football house to embark on grassroots sports development.
The Chairman, in a statement in Abuja, said the Executive Committee of the FA apart from organising the Female Under-17 competition has started a national Under-13 boys' tournament where the products would be nurtured to stardom.
"We have good programme to develop football just as we now have on ground the Under-13 boys and the female Under-17 would be out against Guinea on Saturday in FIFA qualifying match. I pray these young girls secure the ticket to be in New Zealand in November."
According to him, the FA has already started shopping for sponsors to ensure these girls attend the finals should they qualify.
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