“We’ll do the country proud” – Golden Eaglets coach reveals state of readiness for U17 AFCON

As the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) draws nearer, Golden Eaglets coach, Nduka Ugbade, is working relentlessly with his technical team to put together a squad that will make Nigeria proud.

Ugbade, who has assisted in winning the FIFA U17 World Cup for Nigeria, is leading the team this time around and has already guided them to the African finals after winning the WAFU B Championship in Ghana last year.

The tournament is set to hold from April 29th to May 19th, and the Golden Eaglets have been drawn alongside Morocco, South Africa, and Zambia in Group B.

Ugbade is confident that his team will perform excellently at the tournament, but he acknowledges that a lot of work still needs to be done to put the team in excellent form.

What was said? 

“We know that some work still has to be done within the next few weeks to put the team in great form,” Ugbade told the VOA.

“I am happy with the level of work we have done and the kind of playing personnel at our disposal. I believe everything will come together beautifully and we will have a team that will do the country proud at the tournament.”

The Eaglets, the most successful cadet team in the world, are billed to have a final camping programme in Europe before flying to Algeria for the continental finals. The top four teams will qualify to represent Africa at this year's FIFA U17 World Cup in Peru.

Ugbade, who captained Nigeria's U-16 team to win the inaugural FIFA tournament in China 38 years ago, is no stranger to success. He was one of the two assistant coaches for the Golden Eaglets that won silver medal in the CAF U-17 tournament in Algeria in 2013 and gold at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in the UAE.