The Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Sunday Dare has tasked the Nigeria Football Federation to adequately prepare the U20 boys, Flying Eagles, to challenge for the FIFA U20 World Cup trophy in Indonesia in a few weeks. Hon. Dare threw the challenge to the NFF and Head Coach Ladan Bosso at a reception hosted for the Africa U20 Cup of Nations bronze medallists at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Monday. “You have returned from Egypt with the bronze medals and the FIFA World Cup ticket, and a few other prizes, but the FIFA World Cup is in a few weeks and I want you to focus your mind on winning it for Nigeria for the first time. I understand Ghana is the only African country that has won the FIFA U20 World Cup. If Ghana can win it, why not Nigeria? “I am happy about your performance in Egypt because you were able to come from a position of adversity – a depressing loss to The Gambia in the semi final – to fire on all cylinders to defeat Tunisia for the bronze medals. That is the spirit that the Government and people of Nigeria want you to take to the World Cup. We are on the same page with the NFF on adequate preparation of our National Teams for matches and competitions, and I believe they will provide you with good-enough preparation for the global finals in Indonesia.” Head Coach Bosso praised the Minister for his fatherly love, encouragement and support for the team since hosting the team to a similar reception after it won the WAFU B U20 Championship in Niamey 10 months ago. “We are always encouraged by your inspiring and motivating words, and the length you go to simply to support the team and our dreams.
I told you after the victory in Niamey that our target was doing well at the AFCON in order to earn a FIFA World Cup ticket. Now, just as I told the Nigeria Ambassador to Egypt in Cairo on Saturday, I want you to know that our fresh target is doing very well at the FIFA World Cup,” Bosso said. All players and team officials were at the reception, bar Belgium-based Ahmed Abdullahi, who is back at his base in Europe. Also at the reception were the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar; Director of Federations and Elite Athletes Department, Dr. Simon Ebhojiaye; Chairman of the IMC, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye; Chief of Staff to the Hon. Minister, Alhaji Abba Abdullahi Yola; NFF’s Director of Communications, Ademola Olajire and; NFF’s Head of International Competitions, Dayo Enebi Achor. The Flying Eagles will go on a short break before reconvening for the phased preparations for the FIFA World Cup, taking place in Indonesia, 20th May – 11th June.
NFF mourns passing of former Super Falcons’ coach, Ismaila Mabo
The Nigeria Football Federation has expressed deep sorrow over the death on Monday morning of former Nigeria defender and an accomplished Head Coach of the Senior Women’s National Team, Super Falcons, Pa Ismaila Mabo. He was 80. Reports said Mabo died in the early hours of Monday after a protracted illness. “The death of Pa Ismaila Mabo came to me as a huge shock. Again, we have lost a great man and an accomplished trainer-of-trainers in the Nigeria Football fraternity, and my heart goes out to his immediate family and the other loved ones he has left behind. “Mabo laid down a big marker for other coaches when he steered the Super Falcons to the quarter-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the USA in 1999. Yet, he was simple, humble and humane. We will miss him, but we are consoled that he left giant footprints in the sands of time and pray that God will grant him eternal rest,” President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau said on Monday. A gifted central defender, Ismaila Mabo started as a schoolboy international with the Nigeria academicals team that broke the chain of Ghana’s constant whipping of Nigerian teams, when they defeated Ghana’s academicals 1-0 in Accra on 13th February 1966.
It was the first time any Nigerian team would defeat a Ghanaian football team on Ghanaian soil. Six days later, the Nigerian boys again defeated their Ghanaian counterparts 2-1 in Lagos. His team-mates included Peter ‘Baby’ Anieke, Tony ‘World 2’ Igwe, the illustrious Sam Garba Okoye and Eyo Essien. After that accomplishment, Mabo joined Mighty Jets of Jos and was part of that club’s famous squad of the late 1960s and 1970s. He also featured for the senior national team, making his debut in a 1972 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Congo in Brazzaville on 22nd November 1970. Mabo would later go into coaching, and was in the dug-out as Head Coach when the Super Falcons defeated North Korea 3-2, lost to USA and defeated Denmark 2-0 to reach the quarter-finals of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 1999. The team stretched Brazil at that quarter-final stage before losing by a golden goal in extra time in Washington DC on July 1, 1999.