Coach Bala Nikyu has assured that Nigeria’s U17 girls, Flamingos, will be at their best to cage the Cameroon U17 girls when both teams clash in Benin City on Saturday in the first leg, final round of the African qualifiers for this year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals. The Flamingos reached the final round […]
via Nikyu Says Flamingos Set To Soar Over Lionesses — newfanzoneblog
Head Coach Bala Nikyu says his Nigeria U17 girls, Flamingoes are prepared to take the match to their Ethiopian opponents and guarantee a place in the final round of African qualifiers for next year’s FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay. “We are much prepared even than we were for the first leg in Addis […]
via Nigeria’s Flamingoes Go For Victory Against Ethiopia — newfanzoneblog
Nigeria are currently one of the six teams at the ongoing FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Jordan 2016, in dire need of points, having started off their campaign on a losing note. Brazil had, on Saturday, inflicted a first ever opening match defeat on the Flamingoes with an audacious long range shot from their skilful […]
via FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup: We Will Put In Our Best Against England – Nikyu — newfanzoneblog
Ahead of Saturday’s opener against Brazil, Coach of the Flamingoes, Bala Nikyu has assured that his girls have what it takes to achieve victory. Nikyu made this known while fielding questions from the media, during the pre-match Press Conference for both teams, after Flamingoes’ official training session Friday afternoon at the King Abdullah II International […]
via Nikyu: Nigeria’s Flamingoes Will Approach Every Match With Seriousness — newfanzoneblog
Barely two weeks to the kick-off of the 5th FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup finals in Jordan, Coach Bala Nikyu has again assured that the Nigeria U17 girls, known as Flamingoes, will be ready for the challenge on the biggest stage. The Kaduna State –born tactician who took charge of the team at the 2014 […]
via Nikyu: Flamingoes Will Be Ready For The World — newfanzoneblog
Coach Bala Nikyu and team administrator, Mary Oboduku have arrived in Amman, Jordan for Monday’s draw ceremony for this year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The duo left Nigeria on Saturday. The draw ceremony will hold at the King Hussein Cultural Centre, Amman, and will segment the 16 qualified nations into four groups of four […]
via Nikyu, Oboduku In Jordan For U-17 World Cup draw — newfanzoneblog
Seven countries have qualified for the fifth edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final competition, which will be staged in Jordan, 30th September – 21st October 2016. They are host Jordan, Japan, North Korea, Canada, USA, Mexico and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, Head Coach of the U-17 Women National Team, Flamingos, Bala Nikyu has said that his target is to get a good result in the return leg in South Africa, despite the 6-0 drubbing of Bantwana last Saturday at the Abuja National Stadium. Four goals from Captain Rasheedat Ajibade and two from Yetunde Fajobi gave the Flamingos a comfortable advantage heading into the final leg next weekend in South Africa.
“My girls will not rely on the massive win here in Nigeria. When we confront the South Africans in the return leg, we will try and replicate what we did against Namibia, whom we defeated 4-0 here in Abuja and 5-0 in Windhoek.
“We are also not underrating the Bantwana of South Africa as they will try to reduce the number of goals, but we will be ready for them”.
Nigeria has participated at all previous editions of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final competitions from New Zealand 2008 to Trinidad and Tobago 2010, Azerbaijan 2012 and Costa Rica 2014. The Flamingos reached the quarter -finals in the last three editions but have promised to surpass this record in Jordan.
Coach Bala Nikyu says he would be telling his girls to go for as many goals as possible when they take on South Africa’s Bantwana in a 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup African final round qualifier at the National Stadium, Abuja on Saturday.
The Flamingos have been training in Abuja for the past four weeks, following the second round annihilation of Namibia’s Baby Gladiators over two legs.
“Our objective would be to get the job done here in Nigeria before the second leg in South Africa. We are in confident mood, and have been motivated by the words of the NFF General Secretary who attended the team’s training session on Tuesday.
“We know how important qualification for the World Cup is to Nigerians. The girls are ready and rearing to go. We have worked hard over the past weeks and looking forward to a comfortable victory.”
Meanwhile, the Bantwana trained at the training pitch of the National Stadium, Abuja on Wednesday afternoon, after landing in Abuja in the early hours of same day.
While Nigeria has never failed to qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup since it was launched in 2008, South Africa has only been at the 2010 finals (in Trinidad and Tobago) where they conceded 17 goals in three group phase matches against Germany, Korea Republic and Mexico.
The Nigeria Football Federation has named Coach Manu Garba (MFR) as Head Coach of the U-17 National Team, with a mandate to repeat his World Cup –winning feat of 2013 at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India.
Soft –spoken Garba, who was elevated to the U-20 team after the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup triumph, led the Flying Eagles to lift the African title in Senegal last year, but his boys failed to progress beyond the Round of 16 at the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand.
Garba will now be assisted by Atuni Ali and Ernest Teigpanyo. The Golden Eaglets will a few months begin the qualification series for the 2017 African U-17 Championship, which will be hosted by Madagascar.
The NFF also confirmed Bala Nikyu as Head Coach of the U-17 girls team, Flamingos. He will be assisted by Queen Gwendolyn with Lateef Yusuf as goalkeeper trainer.
Flamingos have already qualified for the final round of the African qualification series for the 2016 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which will hold in Jordan later in the year. They play South Africa over two legs next month for a spot in Jordan.
Nigeria’s U-17 girls, nicknamed Flamingoes, have arrived in Namibia ahead of Friday’s 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier against that country’s Baby Gladiators.
Coach Bala Nikyu, his assistants, 18 players and backroom staff, alongside a couple of administrative officials, flew aboard a South African Airways airplane from Lagos to Johannesburg before connecting another South African Airways flight to Windhoek, on Wednesday morning.
The Flamingoes have never failed to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup finals since the event was launched in New Zealand in 2008. They thrashed the Baby Gladiators 4-0 in the first leg in Abuja penultimate weekend.
Nigeria captain Rasheedat Ajibade, who scored two of the four goals in the first leg, said: “We are confident that we will progress into the last round of the qualifiers. Though, we will not under-rate the Baby Gladiators.
“Our Coaches have been telling us to forget the result of the first leg and play the second leg match as if we lost the first leg. Our spirit is high and we will do the country proud.”
Officials of the Namibia Football Association have confirmed that the second leg match will take place at the Sam Nujoma Stadium, starting from 4pm Namibia time (3pm Nigeria time).
The winner of this fixture will play South Africa’s U-17 girls, who have reached the final round of the qualification series following the withdrawal of Zambia.
This year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will take place in Jordan between 30th September and 21st October.
18 FLAMINGOES FOR BATTLE OF WINDHOEK
Goalkeepers: Cynthia Nnadozie, Nimot Ajayi
Defenders: Esther Adeboye, Joy Duru, Patience Dike, Onyinyechi Ibe, Ijeoma Kenneth
Midfielders: Ramat Abdulkareem, Peace Efih, Precious Oyagbarh, Christy Ucheibe, Folashade Ijamilusi
Forwards: Rasheedat Ajibade, Cynthia Aku, Yetunde Fajobi, Rejoice Ikoyo, Kikelomo Olaiya, Chidinma Okeke
Nigeria’s U-17 girls begin another World Cup qualification journey on Saturday when they take on the Baby Gladiators of Namibia in a second round, first leg match at the National Stadium Complex, Abuja.
Namibia’s 26-man delegation to Saturday’s encounter, led by Mr. Timotheus Tjongarero, arrived in Lagos in the early hours of Thursday and flew to Abuja, arriving at 8am. The delegation is accommodated at the Chida Hotel in the Federal Capital Territory.
Also on Thursday morning, match officials from Morocco, led by Referee Lamyaa Lourarhi, arrived in Abuja. The team includes Karima Khadiri (assistant referee 1), Zahra Jalal (assistant referee 2) and Bouchra Karboubi (reserve referee). They are accommodated at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel.
The match commissioner, Florence Marie Aimee Biagui from Senegal, was also being expected in Abuja on Thursday afternoon.
The Flamingos, under the watchful eyes of Coach Bala Nikyu and his assistants, have been in camp for a number of weeks, and are expected to go full throttle against the Baby Gladiators, who reached this round after eliminating fellow Southern Africans, Botswana.
Among the players Bala Nikyu is working with to do Nigeria proud on Saturday are midfielders Rasheedat Ajibade and Joy Duru, as well as Cynthia Aku and Juliet Godman.
The Flamingos have participated at every edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup since the first tournament in New Zealand in 2008.
The return leg has been scheduled to take place at the Sam Nujoma Stadium, Windhoek on Friday, January 22.
Head Coach Bala Nikyu has called 30 players to the camp of the U-17 girls national team ahead of a FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture in January. All invited players have been instructed to report at the Serob Legacy Hotel, Wuye, Abuja on Thursday, 3rd December.
The Flamingos, who have qualified for and participated in every edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals since the competition was launched in New Zealand in 2008, will take on the winner of the Botswana/Namibia first round fixture.
Namibia won the away leg to Botswana 2-1 at the weekend.
Nikyu, who also coached the team at the last finals in Costa Rica early last year, has recalled brilliant attacking midfielder Rasheedat Ajibade of FC Robo. But new faces populate the list and Nikyu stated on Tuesday that “we need to start preparations early and we are happy the NFF has given us the go-ahead to start camp on Thursday, 3rd December.”
The 5th FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals will hold in Jordan, 30th September – 21st October, 2016. Flamingos reached the quarter -finals in Trinidad and Tobago (2010), Azerbaijan (2012) and Costa Rica (2014).
THE FULL LIST
Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Rivers Angels); Temitayo Hassan (Taraba Queens); Tolarin Joye (Pelican Stars); Rita Akarekor (Osun Queens)
Defenders: Ifeoma Ikechukwu (Rivers Angels); Anita Okwudili (Pelican Stars); Glory Sunday (Pelican Stars); Mary James (Abia Angels); Rafiat Sule (Bayelsa Queens); Mary Opara (Abia Angels); Precious Oyabara (Pelican Stars); Ramat Abdulkareem (Adamawa Queens)
Midfielders: Geraldine Amadi (Taraba Queens); Joy Duru (Nasarawa Amazons); Grace Michael (Taraba Queens); Ayowunmi Omosuyi (Sunshine Queens); Ayo Barakat Olaiya (Bayelsa Queens); Ikoyo Rijoile (Osun Queens); Blessing Okpe (COD Ladies); Ndefo Uche (Edo Queens)
Forwards: Hanniyatu Adeleke (Osun Queens); Rasheedat Ajibade (FC Robo); Cynthia Aku (Rivers Angels); Precious Edewor (Osun Queens); Aishat Bello (Kogi Confluence Queens); Pato Moses (Pelican Stars); Ogoma Joseph (Rivers Angels); Juliet Bassey (Rivers Angels); Peace Barnabas (Edo Queens); Blessing Rijoile (Edo Queens)
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