WAFU-B U17: Golden Eaglets Forced To Train On Termite-Infested Pitch

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets were forced to hold their final training session ahead of Wednesday’s opening WAFU-B U17 Championship match against Niger Republic on a poor, termite-infested five-a-side pitch in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The Nigerian team had been scheduled to train at the USFA football pitch on Tuesday evening but discovered on arrival that the facility’s owners had arranged a friendly match for the same time.

The Eaglets were subsequently directed to a nearby five-a-side pitch, whose poor playing surface was unsuitable for a team preparing for a competitive international tournament.

Efforts by Paul Okwudolor, the team manager, to contact the championship organisers over the situation had proved unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

Although the players were unhappy with the treatment, the technical crew and the squad resolved to put the incident behind them and focus on Wednesday’s encounter against their Nigerien counterparts.

The five-time world champions must navigate Group B, which also features Côte d’Ivoire, to reach the knockout rounds of the WAFU-B U17 Championship.

The tournament serves as a qualifying competition for next year’s U17 Africa Cup of Nations.