By Victor Kanayo
Nigeria has withdrawn from the upcoming West African Football Union (WAFU) U20 B men’s tournament scheduled for July, 2023.
This was revealed by the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr. Sanusi Mohammed.
Speaking in Abuja, Dr. Sanusi said the decision to pull out Nigeria’s U20 team from the sub-regional contest was due to their involvement in just concluded 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup.
The West African football powerhouse reached the quarter-final of the global outing in Argentina.
He said, “The players just returned from the World Cup and went home to rest. We can’t recall them now to embark on another tournament that will not serve as qualifier for any competition. The players are human and need to rest.”
Nigeria had been paired with Benin Republic and Togo in group B.
With Nigeria’s withdrawal, Togo and Benin will without any obstruction reach the semi-final of the competition when it gets underway.
Group A consists of the hosts, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Niger Republic.
The WAFU U20 men’s championship is slated for Cote d’Ivoire from July 7th-21st, 2023.
