Olympics Ticket Not Negotiable

Olympics Ticket Not Negotiable – Amaju Pinnick

NFF President Amaju Pinnick has rallied the U-23 National Team ahead of the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations starting in Senegal on Saturday,saying that finishing among the top three should be their sole focus.Nigeria's U-23 won Africa's first –ever Olympicsfootball gold at the Centennial Games in Atlanta, USA 19 years ago with aplomb, and seven years ago, a group led also by Samson Siasia earned silver after losing a final battle to Lionel Messi –inspired Argentina at themajestic Bird's Nest in Beijing.However, the Class of 2011 faltered in the African qualifying race, losing to host Morocco and Senegal to crash out in the group phase at the inaugural Africa U-23 Championship. Failure meant the Dream Team was not at the London Olympics the following year."Presently, we are on a roll of good results and we are determined that those must continue. It's been an exciting past few months during which we have won U-17 World Cup, qualified for theU-20 Women's World Cupand reached the group stage of the African series for the 2018 FIFA World Cup."The NFF is backing Samson Siasia because he isalways keen to succeed. He has brought new, exciting faces to the group and there is confidence all around again. The ticket to the Olympics is non –negotiable."The Nigeria U-23 play their first match of the campaign against Mali at the Caroline Faye Stadium in Mbour on Sunday evening.Pinnick insists that Senegal will again prove to be happy hunting ground for Nigeria footballafter the U-20 decimated continental opposition to win the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations there eight months ago."We won the U-20 Cup of Nations in Senegal at the beginning of the year; now, we are back there for the Olympics ticket and the trophy. We will achieve both, because Samson Siasia hasput together a crack squad and he has the support of the NFF all the way."The Nigeria U-23 squad will also play Egypt andAlgeria in the group phase. Only the top three finishers will qualify to represent Africa at themen's football tournament of next year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, taking place 3rd -20th August, 2016.

Comments

10 ISSUES RAISED BY SEN. BUKOLA SARAKI DURING WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE

POLICE SUE FOR SUPPORT OF PARENTS IN FIGHTING AGAINST CRIME

The Cross River State Police Command has expressed concern over the high rate of proliferation of arms and light weapons among young youths, with a call on parents to be vigilant about the activities of their wards both within and outside their immediate environment. The state Commissioner for Police, Hafiz Inuwa, made this known while speaking at the State CID in Calabar the Cross River State Capital while parading 17 young men with different kinds of arms and ammunition arrested by the police for ranging offences. He Emphasised that security is a collective responsibility and parents have a greater responsibility to this effect. Other items recovered by police included, plasma televisions, gadgets, locally made pistols, army jungle caps among other items. Some of the crimes they were arrested for included, armed robbery at the University of Calabar Staff quarters and different locations in the state, attempted kidnapping, unlawful possession of firearms and cultism...

UNILORIN PRODUCES 89 FIRST CLASS GRADUATES

Prof. AbduGaniyu Ambali, the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ilorin, said on Friday that the institution had produced a total of 89 first class graduates for the 2016/2017 academic session. The Vice-Chancellor made this disclosure in Ilorin on the occasion of a handover and valedictory press conference, which signaled the commencement of the 33rd convocation ceremonies of the university. In his address entitled: “You are great”, the VC said that the university was thriving academically, going by the quality and quantity of research works embarked upon by lecturers. He gave a breakdown of the graduating students thus: 89 First Class Division, 1,932 Second Class Upper Division and 3,727 Second Class Lower Division. The VC also said that 1,309 of them graduated with Third Class Division, 117 with ordinary pass while there were two aegrotat graduating students. While handing over to Pro...

9JATRAFFIC

Search This Blog