FIFA U17 World Cup: Some Of My Players Will Turn Overage Before India 2021 - Flamingos Coach

FIFA U17 World Cup: Some Of My Players Will Turn Overage Before India 2021 - Flamingos Coach

By Editor

Ahead of FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup initially billed for November, the coach of Nigeria’s U-17 Female National Team, Bankole Olowookere has lamented that some of his girls will turn overage when the competition is staged early next year in India due to suspension of FIFA/CAF organised championships as a result of COVID-19 Pandemic.

Olowookere who spoke to Prompt News Online said, already some of the players have added weight due to suspension of football activities in the country adding that bringing them back to fitness level will take time ahead of the last African zone FIFA U-17 World Cup qualifier against Ghana which has no date yet.

He revealed that he introduced weekly online training programme for girls to keep fit but cannot ascertain whether they are religiously following the programme.

“My worry is that they are girls, it takes time to bring them back to fitness especially now that there is no football activities, even street football is banned by Nigeria’s football governing body (NFF)

“Women eat a lot when they are at home and some of them hardly train on their own. I pray that the team work and cohesion that existed in the team before the suspension of football activities are still there.

“I know Ghana is a very good side and high scoring team like my girls. I don’t want us to take chances with the last lap of the qualifiers which is home and away games.

“I am really concern about picking the ticket for the FIFA Women’s U-17 Cup bill for India next year. I have been working on the team, giving them different workout programmes.

“Also, I made personal contact to put them in check and I sincerely pray that football will restart soon to enable us return to training,” Olowokere said.

According to the time-table of the last qualifier, Flamingoes would have been the guest of Ghanaian ladies in Accra between 2nd to 4th May, while the return leg in Nigeria 16th to 17th May, 2020.