Lagos: The head coach of Nigeria’s Men U-18 Handball team, Emeka Nnamani, has announced the final roster of players set to represent Nigeria at the upcoming IHF Trophy Africa Men Continental Phase in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
According to Voice of Nigeria, the tournament is scheduled to take place at the Ethiopian Sports Academy from November 2nd to November 6th, 2024. Under the guidance of Coach Emeka Nnamani and his assistant, Joshua Olubato, the national U-18 handball team has been undergoing rigorous training sessions at the Rowe Park Sports Center, Yaba, Lagos, in preparation for the event.
The team is set to depart on Friday morning via the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The Nigerian delegation will be led by Alhaji Abdulkadir Hussain Mohammed, an executive board member of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) representing the North-East zone.
The final list of players includes notable athletes such as Captain Faruk Kareem, multi-talented Azeez Suliamon Olaitan, the MVP of the Ardova
Handball Premier League 2023, and goalkeeper Samuel Obabori, all hailing from Tojemarine Academy. Additional team members are Aliyu Rufai from Corrections Boys, Suliamon Sani from Niger United, Musa Mohammed from Safety Shooters, and Ganiu Aduragbemi from Lagos Seasider Boys.
Coach Emeka Nnamani expressed confidence in the selected players, emphasizing their potential to make Nigeria proud with the objective of qualifying for the IHF Trophy Intercontinental phase. “These players have been chosen from a large pool of talented U-18 handballers, and I am confident they will represent our country well, as they did in the zonal phase in Ghana earlier this year,” stated Coach Nnamani.
The Nigerian U-18 Handball team enters the competition as the defending champions of the continental phase, a title they secured in Congo Brazzaville two years ago. Following their continental triumph, they achieved a third-place finish globally at the Intercontinental phase in Kosovo. Representing the Africa Zone B region, they ear
ned their spot after defeating Ghana 33-25 at the IHF Trophy Men Africa Zone 3 Phase in Accra, Ghana earlier this year.
Nigeria will commence their campaign in the IHF Trophy Africa Men Continental Phase against Zambia in the Youth (under 18) category on Saturday at 3pm Nigeria time, which corresponds to 5pm local time in Addis Ababa.