NFF Appoint New Coaches For U17 Sides, GNT Start Training This Week

Head Coach of the U17 women national team, Flamingoes, Bala Nikyu will open camp early this week as the girls begin preparations for next month’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifying match against Ethiopia.

Nigeria will take on the Ethiopians in the first round of the African qualifying series of the sixth edition of the global competition, which debuted in New Zealand in 2008. The 2018 finals will be held in Uruguay.

“Nikyu and his assistants will open the team camp early this week. They know what is at stake and will give their best to raise a team that will do Nigeria proud not only in the qualifiers but the global championship proper,” Chairman of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, Yusuf Ahmed Fresh, told thenff.com.

Nikyu’s assistants include former Nigerian international Toyin Ayinla who is the First Assistant Coach; Ajuma Peter Otache who is the Second Assistant Coach and; Christian Obi who is the Goalkeepers’ Trainer.

In a related development, the NFF Technical and Development Committee has appointed a new technical crew for five –time word champions, Golden Eaglets.

Abdullahi Maikaba will take over as Head Coach, with Abubakar Bala as First Assistant Coach; Oluwafunsho Bunmi Haruna as Second Assistant Coach and; Baruwa Abideen as Goalkeepers’ Trainer.

Nigeria won the FIFA Cadet World Cup (which debuted in China in 1985 as an U16 competition) in 1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015.

Ferdinand Mbum