FIFA U-17: Nigeria 2009 Update, Wed., Nov. 04

The United States was knocked out of the U-17 World Cup after getting beaten 2-1 by Italy on Wednesday.

During an afternoon when temperatures reached 93 degrees on the Ahmadu Bello Stadium pitch in Kaduna, Nigeria, the United States Men's National Team bowed out of the U-17 World Cup with a 2-1 loss to Italy.

Wilmer Cabrera's side had chances -- most notably Jack McInerney's penalty kick that was saved by Azzurrini goalkeeper Francesco Bardi -- but ultimately the Americans were the second-best side. They return to the States having done one match better than their U-20 counterparts, but will still be disappointed in the result. READ MORE


Colombia upset Argentina and Italy scraped past the USA in continuation of the World Cup in Nigeria...

Ten-man Argentina lost out to Colombia in an all-South American clash, while USA fell to Italy in the round of 16 matches at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria on Wednesday. At the Gateway International Stadium in Ijebu Ode, Argentina raced into a 2-0 lead after 56 minutes with goals from Leandro Gonzalez and Sergio Araujo, who netted his third goal of the competition. Argentina goalkeeper Damian Martinez pulled off several saves to keep out their fellow South Americans for an hour. READ MORE



Switzerland and Turkey march into the last eight of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Nigeria 2009...
The encounter between the Swiss and the Germans was a match high on drama and entertainment as two players were sent off, a total of seven goals were scored by seven different players and the game had to be decided after extra-time with scores tied at 2-2 after normal time. Lagos favourites Switzerland, who posted a 100 per cent record in the first round, were again at home at the Teslim Balogun Stadium when Ricardo Rodriguez snatched the lead for them after 35 minutes.

Germany then equalised four minutes later through Mario Gotze before Haris Seferovic regained the Swiss lead in the 49th minute. The German never-say-die spirit was again in full bloom when Florian Trinks found the target in the 78th minute to take the game into extra-time. READ MORE


Host Nigeria Prepares for Elimination Match at Under-17 World Cup The Nigerian under-17 soccer team is ready to take the next step towards defending its Youth World Cup crown, as the knockout phase of the tournament kicks off. Games in the elimination round of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup begin Wednesday afternoon in Nigeria, with the hosts set to take the field Thursday night in Abuja. The 16 teams that remain in the tournament, after a tightly contested first round, all have ambitions of taking home the trophy. And, the round of 16 will go a long way toward sorting out the pretenders from the legitimate title contenders. READ MORE

No Age Cheats At FIFA Under-17 World Cup - Officials

FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has announced that organisers are yet to detect any player who is above the allowed age at this year's Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria.
An MRI scan was introduced at this year's competition to fish out age cheats, but Warner disclosed at a press briefing in Abuja that thus far no negative report has been turned in from the random testing conducted on teams at the tournament. READ MORE

Eaglets set to swoop on New Zealand

An emphatic victory is definitely what fans of the Golden Eaglets expect against a New Zealand team whose qualification for this stage of the FIFA U-17 World Cup is something of a surprise, and who will definitely be playing without pressure as they have nothing to lose having been given no chance of making it out of the first round. READ MORE

Soccer: Young All Whites aiming for Cup victory - coach

No one would dare suggest the Young All Whites will not mean business when they run on to the National Stadium for the last of the eight second-round matches at Fifa Under-17 World Cup in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, early tomorrow morning. The New Zealand TAB has New Zealand at $7 to beat Nigeria ($1.08) - the longest odds of the 16 surviving teams - but coach Steve Cain is not fazed by that. READ MORE

African Teams Find Mixed Results at Under-17 World Cup

Africa's representatives at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup have experienced varying levels of success in Nigeria. After a first round with highs and lows for the continent's teams, two of five remain for the knockout rounds. The final first round matches at the Under-17 World Cup came to a conclusion Sunday, and the pairings for the knockout rounds were finalized. Disappointingly for the African hosts, the final group of 16 teams that will battle it out for the youth championship this year lacks the normally large number of African teams. READ MORE

…Spanish coach warns Burkina Faso to prepare for the worst in round of 16

Moments after dispatching Malawi 4–1 in their last group match, Spain Coach, Gines Melendez, declared that his team were ready for yet another African challenge as they face Burkina Faso in their round of 16 fixture billed for the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano on Thursday. "Burkina Faso are no doubt a good side, but we are ready for them. We shall give them a good fight like we did in all our previous matches," he said at the post match meeting with the aid of an interpreter. READ MORE

Iran rearguard face Celeste test

The group stages are a thing of the past now at Nigeria 2009, meaning each game is a do-or-die affair from here on out. It will be a case of win or go home in Calabar when Uruguay make their first visit to the venue. The Iranians have yet to concede a goal in their three group matches, setting themselves up as one of the defensive bastions of these U-17 finals. The rearguard is led ably by the Zob-Ahan-based trio of captain Ali Goudarzi, Iman Shirazi and Bahman Maleki. In attack the young Team Melli have been slightly less assured, but they did manage three goals in Group C thanks in large part to the attacking play of striker Payam Sedeghian and creative sparkplug Afshin Esmaeil. READ MORE

KANO state government has spent over N1billion to ensure a successful hosting of the on-going U-17 World Cup soccer competition, Governor Ibrahim Shekarau has said. The governor who dropped the hint yesterday while fielding questions from sports writers in his office, revealed that the state government began preparations to ensure Kano became one of the centres since the federal government accepted to host the event last year. According to him, the state government started to accommodate the preparations in 2008 and 2009 budgets. READ MORE

With Lagos City Champions, it’s football fun all the way

DRIVING along the ever-busy Bank Anthony Way, in Ikeja, one will not fail to notice the campaign banner stretched through the length of the road. One’s curiosity is immediately aroused by the campaign message: “Lagos Own the Game”. And the question that readily came to mind was how come Lagos is suddenly claiming ownership of the round leather game? When did the Centre of Excellence become the seat of ‘crazy’ football fans. READ MORE

With open arms, Lagos welcomes the world

For the Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, every opportunity to market the state to the world as the ultimate destination for business and pleasure is vigorously explored. The on-going FIFA Under-17 World Cup is one of such glaring opportunity which the football-loving Senior Advocate of Nigeria didn’t allow to slip through his fingers, so says Mr. Israel Opayemi, the Country Executive Director of Wisdom Keys Nigeria. READ MORE

FIFA U-17 World Cup Update, Friday, October 30, 2009

U-17 World Cup: Scandal, Scandal everywhere



The FIFA U-17 World Cup tagged Nigeria 2009 has been plagued by scandals from inception when a bogus budget of N35 billion was presented to a shocked Federal Government which initially subsequently announced its withdrawal altogether. After pressure was mounted by eminent Nigerians and some sports administrators who told the government of the consequences of its action, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua balked but said the outrageous budget must be slashed. N9 billion was then approved. <<< READ FULL STORY



Nigeria Under-17 2-1Argentina Under-17: Hosts Win To Top World Cup Group A



Hosts and defending champions Nigeria finished the first round of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup as leaders of Group A. They secured the position by defeating Argentina 2-1 at the Tafawa Balewa Stadium in Bauchi on Friday. The Golden Eaglets fought back from an early Argentine strike to record a win that ensures that they stay put in Abuja for their round of 16 match on Thursday. <<< READ FULL STORY



Decision day for Brazilian starlets as group goes to the wire



The Selecao, who are the favourites to win the championship shot themselves on the foot on Tuesday when they allowed Mexico to run out with a 1-0 scoreline. The result threw the group open, with Brazil and Mexico tied on three points, a situation that placed the South Americans in a must win situation at the National Stadium in Abuja. <<< READ FULL STORY



Seleção feel the heat



Brazil's passage to the knockout phase of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Nigeria 2009 will be on the line on Friday when they take on Switzerland in their final Group B game in Abuja. The Helvetians, who already stamped their ticket to the last 16 with two wins from two, will be keen to maintain their winning run and take the scalp of the three-time world champions. <<< READ FULL STORY



FIFA referees stuck on bad roads in Abuja



(Xinhua) -- FIFA's refereeing officials at the ongoing Under-17 World Cup tournament were on Thursday in Abuja stuck for two hours at a bad spot on the road leading to their training venue. The bus conveying the officials from a training session at the FIFA Goal project could not move because of the bad road, the News Agency of Nigeria reported. The road which is currently under construction became difficult for vehicles to pass because of a downpour. <<< READ FULL STORY



Fifa U-17 - We Still Cheat, Amiesimaka



Scandals, scandals and more scandals appear to be the hallmark of the on-going FIFA U-17 World Cup taking place in eight centers in Nigeria. First, it was the issue of lack of funds, a feat that saw some sub seat chairmen threaten to quit their positions before they were cajoled by the LOC chieftains. The chairmen were not issued with funds to work few days to the commencement of the tournament. <<< READ FULL STORY



Nigeria 2009 - Reduce Pressure on Eaglets, Howard Tells Nigerians



Coach Franklin Howard has said that the Eaglets would give their best in the on-going FIFA U-17 World Cup if Nigerians could put less pressure on the team. He noted that because football fans and Nigerians in general feel highly aggrieved over the poor outings by the senior national teams in recent international competitions, there seem to have been a corresponding transfer of such dissatisfaction to the U-17 in the current competition, leading to loss of confidence. Howard, a former junior team captain and defender for the defunct ACB FC of Lagos, has therefore urged Nigerians to put less pressure on the team in this competition so they could do better. <<< READ FULL STORY



Young Ticos targetman primed



Currently lying bottom of Group D and having endured a 4-1 football lesson from Turkey, things may look dire for Costa Rica on paper but in reality the Central Americans maintain high hopes of reaching the knockout stage. Costa Rica face Burkina Faso where the winner will progress to the Round of 16, provided New Zealand fail to overcome runaway leaders Turkey. Even if the Young All Whites triumph in adversity against Turkey, a third-place qualification berth still beckons. <<< READ FULL STORY

Soccer Madness: Nigeria Celebrates in Style at the Beijing Olympics

{Olubayo Adefemi celebrates the goal opener. Photo: Associated Press)

{A jubilant dream team celebrates in style as Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi, Kneeling down, is being congratulated by teammates Captain Victor Obinna Nsofor--right--and Chibuzor Okonkwo--Left.} Photo: AFP coutesy of Vanguard

It was superb and unbelievable to see a magnificent Samson Siasia put a team together with a range unimaginable at his own tone and pace. Siasia had told Michel Obi to go to hell and he didn't need him. Obi had thought Siasia could not perform his magic without him.

Obi was wrong.

Siasia did it independently, his own way, and by his own rules.

However, I had tipped the robust Italians to win overall on many grounds. Brazil came unprepared with a lousy Coach Dunga who had no idea what he was doing.

The showdown, a much anticipated return match is a tough call. Argentina has players who play pro in big European leagues. Lionel Messi, Sergio Arguero, Javier Mascherano, et all are experienced players. On the other hand, the goal scorers that nailed Belgium are from unknown teams in Europe and Brazil. Olubayo Adefemi plays for a clubside in Israel, Chinedu Obasi who scored two goals against Belgium plays for Hoffenheim in Germany while Chibuzor Okonkwo plays locally for Bayelsa United in Nigeria.

The dribbling magic of the Nigerian lads is a sure bet to give Messi and his boys a run for their money.

The line: Nigeria by one point.