The Director-General, National Sports Commission, Alhassan Yakmut, on Thursday urged the national U-23 team to win the gold medal and make the nation proud at the ongoing11th All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville. Yakmut according to thenff.com lauded the team for their 2-0 victory over the Black Meteors of Ghana.
He also urged the team to go for the gold medal at the Men’s Football Tournament of the games. On Tuesday, Samson Siasia’s boys defeated the All Africa Games defending champions, Ghana, 2-0 to book their place in the semifinals of the football event.
Nigeria’s final Group B match against Senegal, that drew 0-0 with Ghana on the opening day, will determine the overall winners of the group, following the last-minute withdrawal of Egypt. The U-23 team plays Senegal on Saturday. Yakmut said that Nigerians had confidence in the team stressing that the team could not afford to let the nation down after an excellent run.
“The country believes so much in your ability to deliver; I also believe in you but the only way you can justify this belief is to go out there and win the gold medal to make the nation proud; I know you can do it,’’ he said.
Yakmut urged the team to be disciplined and remain focused so that the U-23 boys could get to the peak of their career, saying that “this is just the beginning of greater things to come for them.”
