Nigeria U-18 handball team begins camp ahead of cadets championship
The Nigeria Under-18 male handball team has commenced camping in Abuja ahead of the 22nd African Cadets Men’s Championship scheduled to be held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Head coach Abdulhakim Yakubu invited 23 players to camp, and they are undergoing intensive training as the technical crew works to build a competitive squad for the continental championship.
The team’s preparations are focused on improving the players’ fitness, technical abilities, tactical understanding and team cohesion ahead of the competition.
Nigeria has been drawn in Group B alongside Tunisia, Algeria and Madagascar.
Group A includes Egypt, Cameroon and Congo; Group C has Morocco, Libya and Rwanda; and Group D features Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia and Burundi.
The Nigerian squad comprises players across seven positions.
The goalkeeping department has Shuaibu Fridaymicheal, Shuaibu Muhammad and Lawal Muhammad.
Aliyu Rufai, Sani Muntari, Friday Pagiel and Sulaimon Abayomi Fashogbon are listed as centre backs, while Godstime Michael, Usman Umar and Samuel Achama will operate from the left-back position.
The right-back options are Huzaifa Abdulkadir, Obieze Akunebu, Gana Abubakar Tauhidi and Muhammed Yahaya.
Chikelu Chidiebere Divine, Hamza Yahaya, Aminu Dahiru and Abdulrahman Sani are the left-wing players, while Umar Mohammed, Abdullahi Abubakar and Zulkifilu Muhammed are listed as right-wingers.
The two pivots in the squad are Akibu Muhammad and Dominion Abukhate.
Yakubu will be assisted by Ayo Joshua, the assistant coach.
The technical crew is expected to use the camping programme to assess the players and fine-tune their tactics ahead of the championship.
The African Cadets Men’s Championship, organised by the Confédération Africaine de Handball (CAHB), provides a platform for young handball players across the continent to compete and gain international experience.
Nigeria faces a challenging group-stage campaign against Tunisia, Algeria and Madagascar, and is expected to rely on its preparations in Abuja to make a strong showing in Abidjan.
The Nigerian side is expected to continue its training programme as it intensifies preparations for the continental championship.
(NAN)
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