THE Golden Eaglets of Nigeria and Ghana’s Black Starlets will clash tomorrow in the bronze match of the WAFU B U-17 Championship in Accra, Ghana.
Both teams, who have won the FIFA U-17 World Cup eight times between them, were beaten in their semi-final encounters on Saturday, Nigeria losing to Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana succumbing to Burkina Faso.
After those semi-final defeats, it was believed that both the Golden Eaglets and the Black Starlets were no longer in the running for a spot in the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup.
However, the West African Football Union is still unable to provide clarity on the number of teams that will proceed to the 2025 AFCON from WAFU B, and Nigeria Football Federation General Secretary Dr. Mohammed Sanusi has charged the Golden Eaglets to go all out and play the third-place encounter like it is the final.
“We are still awaiting clarity on the number of teams that will qualify to the U17 AFCON from this tournament. Some people have said only three teams; some said four teams,” Sanusi told the NFF media department.
“It is therefore important that our boys go out there and play their hearts out to finish in third place.
“The Black Starlets will not be an easy ride. They are the home side and they will bank on the support of the fans. But our boys have what it takes to achieve victory.”
The third-place match will kick off at 3pm Ghanaian time (4pm Nigerian time) tomorrow at the University of Ghana Stadium, ahead of the final match between Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire, which commences at 7pm Nigerian time.
