Nigeria Football Federation head Alhaji Aminu Maigari (left) says they are committed to changing the face of Nigerian football.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Aminu Maigari says they are changing the image of Nigeria football.
Currently the most visible change has been the NFF board’s decision to appoint indigenous coaches for all their national teams. Nigeria has an abundance of former international players who after retiring from playing have secure qualification to coach.
However in the past they were routinely shunned in favour of Europeans. Many of these Europeans had no formal qualification in coaching.
“The current NFF board is committed to changing the face of Nigerian football in so many ways. The selection of indigenous coaches for all our national teams is just one of the areas in which we are rolling out the changes,” says Maigari.
The Nigerian senior men’s team currently campaign in the 2012 Orange Africa Cup of Nations qualifier is coached by Samson Siasia. Austin Eguavoen and John Obuh coach the men’s under-23 and under-20 teams respectively.
Perhaps the most significant change in Nigerian football so far was the appointment of Uche Eucharia as the coach of the women team. She is the first female head coach in Nigerian football history.
She guided the team to recapture the winner’s trophy at the 2010 Africa Women’s Championships in Johannesburg South Africa. Eucharia is the first African female coach to guide a team to win an international competition.
As a result, she achieved another Nigerian landmark when she became the first female to be named the Nigerian Coach of the Year. She is currently guiding the team through the qualifying contest for the All Africa Games. Eucharia is also gearing up to lead the Super Falcon to the 2011 World Cup in Germany in July.
“We are proud of our indigenous coaches. The NFF is giving them a chance to show what they can do,” says Maigari.
“So far the senior women and men’s  under-20 team have won Africa titles and will be campaigning in their respective World Cup contests in July. Therefore the faith we have placed in our indigenous coaching personnel is proving the NFF board took the correct decision,” Maigari declared.

Mali determined to achieve a historical victory over Nigeria in AYC semi final in Dobsonville Soweto South Africa on Thursday (28 April)

Mali is positive they will overcome Nigeria despites the absence of their key striker Coulibaly Khalifa in their Orange Africa Youth Championships semi final odays (Thursday (28 April).
Khalifa who has scored twice is the tournament’s second highest goal scorer. Yet he will miss the clash against Nigeria after he received a red card in their encounter against Egypt.
“We are not discouraged by Khalifa’s absence. We will also play without defender Diarra Mady who got a second yellow card in the match against Egypt,” Malian coach Sekou Diallo revealed.
“We have strength in depth in every position on the field. If we miss these key players we always have a reliable substitute. What is most important is that we play as a unit,” says Diallo.
“In our last group match against Egypt we were reduced to ten men for over 70 minutes of the game. Yet we scored the only goal of the match in the second half,” Diallo points out.
Perhaps the driving force behind the Malian team is their date with history. Of the four semi finalists who include Cameroon, Egypt and Nigeria, Mali are the only team who have not won the trophy. Yet they are most regular participants in this tournament.
“Nigeria has beaten us several times at this championship. It is now our turn to turn the tables on them and go all the way and win this competition. That is our goal,” Diallo declared.
 

Egypt’s Under-20 team at the Orange Africa Youth Championships in Soweto are now national heroes after qualifying for the FIFA Youth World Cup in Colombia.

 Egyptian fans are hungry for more success after their team qualified for the Orange Africa Youth Championships semi finals in Soweto South Africa today Thursday (28 April).
By virtue of advancing to the semi finals Cameroon, Egypt, Mali, and Nigeria have qualified for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. The contest will be staged in Columbia in July.
In semi finals action Nigeria plays Mali before Egypt challenge Cameroon at the Dobsonville Stadium in Dobsonville Soweto. Egyptian coach Diaa El Sayed says millions of fans back home now want he team to go all the way to the final  
 “Fans are in a celebratory mood back home. We have many problems in Egypt and the people want something to make them feel happy,” says coach el Sayed.
“After the Egyptian Pharaohs narrowly missed qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa many fans were deeply hurt. So our qualifying for Columbia has brought a smile on many faces in Egypt,” El Sayed explained.
He points out that the last time Egyptians paid so much attention to one of their teams was when the Pharoahs played in the 1990 World Cup in Italy. Now the under-20 side has ignited a frenzy of passionate celebration.
Egypt won the inaugural Africa Youth Championships in 1991. They repeated this feat in 2003.
“The ceiling of ambition and expectation among our fans has been raised. They now want us to bring this cup back to Cairo. For us here our focus is on winning today against Cameroon who are a tough team,” says El Sayed.

Nigeria Flying Eagles coach John Obuh says their improved defense is the propelling them to better results at the Orange Africa Youth Championships in Soweto South Africa

An improved defence could see Nigeria’s Flying Eagles progress to the final at the Orange Africa Youth Championships at the Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto South Africa on Thursday (April 28).
Nigeria’s campaign so far has been rather inconsistent. First they overcame their arch rivals and defending champions Ghana 2-1 in their opening Group B match.
This rare achievement lifted the team’s spirits ahead of their clash with Cameroon who routinely beat Nigeria in this age group contest. Once again Nigeria slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Cameroon.
“I lost almost my entire defence just before we came to South Africa for this tournament.  So building a credible defence was a work in progress as the competition got underway,” says coach John Obuh.
Going into Monday’s final preliminary against Gambia, the Nigerians had their backs to the wall and faced possible elimination. Obuh’s defensive formation finally clicked as they held the marauding Gambian strikers at bay in the first half.
The introduction of Stanley Okoro as an impact player in the second half paid off. He found the back of the net before skipper Ramon Azeez put matters beyond any doubts.
When the referee blew the final whistle there was a collective sigh of relief among Nigerians at the Milpark Stadium in Johannesburg. Nigeria secured a hard fought 2-0 victory.
 “As the competition unfolds we have eventually found a defensive formula. We have achieved our minimum goals of picking a ticket to the FIFA Youth World Cup in Colombia in July,” says Obuh.
“The core of this team comprises of those who played in the side I guided to win the silver medal at the 2009 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria. They have been together as a playing unit for two years and know each other well,” Obuh explained.
“Therefore I expect more. Defensively we must remain alert against the skilful Malians in Thursday’s semi final. I am convinced we will achieve more in this tournament,” Obuh declared.

Lesotho Under-20 captain  Basia Kenneth Makepe reckons he has what it takes to make the Lesotho senior national team, the Likoena.

Basia Kenneth Makepe the Lesotho Under-20 team captain looks forward to playing in their senior national team, the Likoena.
Lesotho crushed out of the on-going Orange Africa Youth Championships after the group stage. Nonetheless, Makepe says the outing was a crucial eye opener.
Initially Lesotho lost to Egypt 2-0 and South Africa 2-1 in their Group A preliminaries. They went on to hold Mali to a 1-all draw
“We are proud that we have ended our campaign on a high. Egypt and South Africa lost to Mali. Yet we came from behind to draw with Mali,” says Makepe.
“Our team had never played a West African team prior to our fixture against Mali. West Africans are more exposed to international football. So the result against Mali was all the more important for us,” Makepe explained.
“Going forward I hope one day to play for our senior team the Likoena. I have seen how small countries like Gambia take on some of Africa giants like Ghana. So we in Lesotho should also do the same,” says Makepe.
On their way to qualifying for the Africa Youth Championships, Lesotho eliminated South Africa and Kenya. It is the second time since 2005 that they have reached this far in this particular tournament.
“When we first started playing for the under-20 side, some players in the teams struggled to find their feet. However after this championship we matured both as individuals and as a team.