Nigeria’s under 23 men handball team have began camping in Abuja ahead of the IHF Emerging Nations Championship.
The IHF Emerging Nations Championship 2023, organised by the International Handball Federation (IHF) hold in Bulgaria from April 25th – 30th 2023 and Nigeria will be participating for the second time in the competition; the first being in 2019 in Georgia with Nigeria defeating Columbia to finish 7th in the championship.
Nigeria will play in group D alongside the host Bulgaria and Azerbaijan.
To this end, Coach Solomon Yola has invited 18 professional handball players amongst which are Farouk Yusuf of Spanish Handball side, Grannolars and Obina Ani who plays in Russia.
All the players are in camp aside Yusuf, Ani and Kingsley Ifenna of plays for Beersheba of Israel who are expected to join the team in Bulgaria.
The IHF Emerging Nations Championship is a special IHF project that is aimed at supporting emerging nations since 2015.
The championship is considered a qualifications process for the competition of the European Handball Federation and at the same time provide opportunities for countries from other continental confederations to take part.
Thus Countries that currently participate are those in the “Four-year plan” of the European Handball Federation and the best ranked countries from other continents that did not qualify for the World Men’s Handball Championship.
List of Players Invited For IHF Emerging Nations Championship
1. ADAMOLUGBE OLADUNJOYE BABATUNDE (POLICE MACHINE)
2. ALIYU AMINU (NIGER UNITED)
3. ANI OBINNA
(RUSSIA)
4. SHAGARI JOHN
(SOKOTO RIMA)
5. SALAMI HAKEEM DAMILARE
(ADDIDJAT, BENIN REPUBLIC)
6. KUTI JAMES AKOREDE
(TOJEMARINE)
7. AMUSAN OLUWASEUN ADENIJI
(TOJEMARINE)
8. YUSUF SOLOMON
(KANO PILLARS)
9. OKUBUIKE KINGSLEY IFENNA
(BEERSHEBA ISRAEL)
10. DIKKO IBRAHIM
(KANO PILLARS)
11. YUSUF FARUK
(GRANOLLARS SPAIN)
12. AGADA ANTHONY NGBEDE (CONFLUENCE STARS)
13. OKWOR OBINNA (CONFLUENCE STARS)
14
.DANIEL BELLO
(TOJEMARINE)
15. NWODO CHIBUZOR JOHN (KANO PILLARS)
16. LAWAL TAHIR AHMED (CORRECTION BOYS)
17. YAHAYA ISMAILA
(NIGER UNITED)
18. AJIBIKE KAREEM AKANNI OLAWOLE
(TOJEMARINE)
OFFICIALS
1. YOLA SOLOMON MARTINS (HEAD COACH)
2. ADEBAYO YEKINI
ASSISTANT COACH
3.
MOHAMMED BALA KHALID
4. ALMU UMAR LAMBU
