Both of Nigeria’s representatives at the 2nd West Africa Zone B Under-15 Schools Football tournaments; FOSLA Academy Orozo, Abuja (Girls) and National Grammar School, Nike, Enugu (Girls); are safely back in the country.
Speaking to the media on his team’s arrival; the Media Director of FOSLA Academy, Mr. Sylvester Ojogbane said hard lessons have been learnt, after the Girls lost all three of their preliminary matches.
According to him, the experiences garnered in Lome are enomous and will be carefully reviewed by the Schools consortium of coaches.
“Doing so will help us, as a School, do better at the 2024 World Schools Championship, in China; and subsequent editions of the African Schools U-15 football championship”, Mr. Ojogbane asserted.
The tournament ended in Lome, capital of Togo; with the representative of Benin Republic crowned winners of the Boys category, with a comfortable 2-0 victory over their counterparts from Côte d’Ivoire, on Sunday.
The Ivorians had in the semifinals edged out Nigeria’s Nike Grammar School, Enugu; forcing the Boys from Nigeria to play the bronze medal match, which they also lost 0-1 to the representatives of Ghana.
The Boys competition is an eleven-aside game played over a period of two halves, of 30 minutes each; while the Girls played eight-aside games, with a smaller goals, and 25 minutes for each half.
Nigeria was represented in the Girls tournament, by FOSLA Academy Orozo; but they tumbled out after losing all three of their preliminary games.
The Academy, established by a former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Alhaji Sani Lulu Abdullahi, however ended up winning the fair play trophy for Girls, for accumulating no yellow cards all through.
The victory means Benin as winners, and Côte d’Ivoire as 1st runner-up, will go on to represent West Africa Zone B at the Continental finals, at a yet to be decided date, and venue.
I’m addition, the Boys from Benin will pocket the sum of USD 100,000 as prize money, and a share of the 800 balls, donated to each participating team, through their respective Football Federations.
In a thrilling Girls finalé, Togo secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Ghana, to claim the U-15 Girls’ title at the Stade Municipal in Lome on Sunday. Benin likewise edged Côte d’Ivoire 1-0 in the losers’ final, played earlier.
*Financial Rewards:*
Winners: $100,000
Silver Medalists: $75,000
3rd Place Winners: $50,000
Forty-four post-primary schools, from across the continent entered for the championship, a baby of CAF President, Dr. Patrice Mosepe, who is looking to further popularize the game, amongst the school population, and grassroots.
