WAFU B Tournament: Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets start on losing note

The Nigeria U-17 team got off to a disappointing start at the ongoing West African Football Union (WAFU) B Tournament in Lome, Togo as they lost 0-1 to their Ivorian counterparts on Wednesday.

The solitary goal conceded in the 76th minute condemned Coach Fatai Amoo’s tutored side to the defeat that effectively puts them in a tighter situation.

With Group B having only three teams and each team to play only two matches, it is a more difficult prospect, and any team that loses its first game will be walking a tight rope.

The Golden Eaglets, through their media officer, had earlier complained there was a “massive conspiracy” against them in Lome.

The Eaglets arrived in Lome, Togo earlier than their first opponents the Baby Elephants of Ivory Coast but their mandatory MRI tests were scheduled for a later time.

Their Ivory Coast counterpart had their tests immediately but the Nigerian boys were scheduled for later.

These, officials’ claim, was geared at unsettling the Nigerian team.

Having failed in their first assignment in Lome, the Golden Eaglets are condemned to win their other Group game against arch-rivals Ghana on Saturday.

Both Nigeria and Ghana have seven cadet world titles between them, and clashes between them at any level usually have an extra edge.

A few weeks back, the Nigeria U-20 team, the Flying Eagles, failed in their bid to qualify from the WAFU B tournament to the AFCON U-20 tournament to be staged in Mauritania later in the year.

Already, FIFA has announced that the U-17 and U-20 World Cups will not hold this year as earlier scheduled.