Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has inaugurated the NPFL U17 League Youth Committee.
The Chairman NPFL, who also doubles as the 2nd Vice president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye performed the inauguration yesterday in Abuja.
The committee is to be headed by former Chairman of Abia Warriors, Pastor Emeka Inyama.
Other members of the committee include: Alhaji Gafar O Liameed; Patrick Pascal; Paul Edeh; Nicholas Morisson Kemeghde and Sabo Abdulahi Eka. Prince Dapo Ajibade and Aliyu Lawal Ibrahim will serve as the Assistant Project Coordinators while Sunday Johnson Obaseki will serve as the Secretary.
Speaking at the inauguration, Elegbeleye said the NPFL expected the products of the league to form the bulk of the next U-17 and U-20 national teams given that from 2025 FIFA has said that the FIFA U-17 World Cup will now be organised yearly.
He expressed confidence in the capacity of the committee to deliver on the mandate and make the youth football league to work in Nigeria by getting the best in the league from U-15 to U-17 to U-20.
“We expect you to do the work towards the first half of this season And this suppose to be a mid season affairs beginning from January 21, 2024.
“There will be zonal play off and we expect each zone to produce a champion. The champions will converge somewhere in February for the championship playoff. We will showcase the best 11 plus the reserve team, who will go on a playing tour of Europe to understand more aspect of football and come home and become useful for Nigeria in terms of getting a pool of next U-17 players” Elegbeleye said .
He charged the committee to screen for genuine U-17 players, adding that any club that cheats will not be eligible to participate in the tournament where players will be selected for the playing tour of Europe.
Elegbeleye said that the selected players will be subjected to intense MRI screening to ensure they are true U-17 players.
In his response, Inyama assured that the committee will be intentional about the mandate by drawing on their experience and orginising a first class programme.
He thanked the Chairman of NPFL for finding them worthy while assuring that they would not let down Nigerians.
CORRIGENDUM
In the caption of our photograph on PG 39 yesterday, Nigerian international midfielder, Alex Iwobi, was erroneously referred to as Everton player. He’s a Fulham midfielder. Error regretted, –Group Sports Editor.
