Nigeria names squad for U-18, U-20 zonal handball champs

 Coaches of Nigeria’s U-18 and U-20 women’s handball teams have released their final lists of 14 players ahead of the IHF Women’s Trophy Zonal Phase, which will be held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, from April 20  to 24.

The two teams have been training at the Rowe Park Sports Centre, Yaba, Lagos, for close to two weeks and departed for the competition on Thursday.

Coach John Uzor of the national U-18 team has included Omole Joy of Defender Babes and her sister Omole Shola alongside Ojie Princess of Funad Academy alongside right back Faisat Balogun in the mix while Success Duru, Chetachi Ngaodurubie of COAS Babes and Sharon Okonkwo make the cut, amongst others players.

In the U-20 team, coach Shittu Agboola has largely stuck with the players he has been grooming since their U-18 days. The team is led by captain Chidera Ogbusimba alongside her Rima Queens teammates the Samuel Sisters, Amina Mohammed and Joy Peters.

Israel-based Rahima Bello, Kehinde Babatunde of ASPAC HBC of Benin Republic and Esther Mathew, who is also based in Benin Republic, keep their places,

Coach Shittu believes his team will make Nigeria proud just as they did previously at the U-18 level.

“I am really upset that Taiwo Babatunde will not be part of the team for this competition as her school, Yaba College of Technology, insisted that they will not release her for national service because of examinations.

“We did everything humanly possible to secure her release and they didn’t care that it is a national service for the interest of Nigeria and the growth of sports. We have other players who are also students and they got a release from their schools but for no tangible reason, Yabatech refused to release Taiwo despite the fact that we did everything possible to secure her release. It’s sad and I hope the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Sports Commission will work in tandem so that schools will support our goal in making Nigeria proud in sporting events.

“Regardless, we still have the core of the team and I believe we’ll do well at the IHF Women’s Trophy Zonal Phase Championship in Abidjan,” he said.

In the U-18 category, Nigeria are in Group A alongside Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso.

The U-20 team are in Group B alongside Benin Republic and Togo.

All matches will be played at the Salle polyvalente des parcs de sport de treichville (Multipurpose Sports Hall), Abidjan.