Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) secretary-general, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi has charged players of the youth national team, Flying Eagles to imbibe discipline, dedication and commitment in their bid to win the 2019 Africa U20 Cup of Nations in Niger Republic.
Sports247.ng reports that, with the competition billed to kick-off on Saturday, Sanusi on Wednesday charged the seven-time champions to go out for an encore and make up for missing the last edition.
Nigeria will confront hosts Niger Republic, South Africa and Burundi in Group A of the eight nation contest from 2nd to 17th February, ahead of which Sanusi says only the right attitude will see the squad to glory.
The Flying Eagles take on Burundi in their first match in Niamey this Saturday, ahead of which the delegation to the 21st edition will depart Abuja on Thursday morning, to arrive at the host nation same afternoon.
Speaking during a visit to the team’s training session on Wednesday, Sanusi harped on the importance of imbibing enviable character traits that will take the players to the top faster than their skills and abilities.
Sanusi assured the players that the NFF will do everything necessary to support the team to achieve their target of picking a ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup and winning the U-20 AFCON title next month.
The NFF scribe said: “Discipline and character are values that you must not take for granted.
“You may be the best player in the world, but without discipline nd character, you would sooner find yourself on the scrap heap.
“Stories of exceptional talents who wasted away before they could climb successfully to the top, as a result of indiscipline, abound.
“I pray that your story will not be like any of those. You are bearing the high expectations of 180 million Nigerians on your lean shoulders.
“You cannot afford to fail. You are Ambassadors of our great country and good character and discipline are key in everything you do.
“The NFF would do everything to support you. I can assure you that your qualification bonus would be ready once you earn the World Cup ticket.
“Football is the biggest unifying factor globally. Please have that in your mind as you go that the whole country is behind you and will be backing you to conquer.”
