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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Leadership of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) on Thursday, inaugurated the NPFL U-17 League Youth Committee.
NPFL Chairman, who doubles as the second vice president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Gbenga Elegbeleye performed the inauguration in Abuja.
Former Abia Warriors FC of Umuahia, Pastor Emeka Inyama will head the committee while other members drawn from the geopolitical zones include Gafar O Liameed; Patrick Pascal; Paul Edeh; Nicholas Morisson Kemeghde and Sabo Abdulahi Eka, Prince Dapo Ajibade and Aliyu Lawal Ibrahim will serve as the Assistant Project Coordinators while Sunday Johnson Obaseki will serve as the Secretary.
Speaking while inaugurating the committee, Elegbeleye noted that NPFL management expected the products of the league to form the bulk of the next U-17 and U-20 national teams as the FIFA U-17 World Cup will now be organised yearly.
The former Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Sports also expressed confidence in the capacity of the committee to deliver on the mandate and make the youth football league to work in Nigeria by getting the best in the league from U-15 to U-17 to U-20.
“We expect you to do the work towards the first half of this season. And this suppose to be a mid season affairs beginning from January 21, 2024. There will be zonal play off and we expect each zone to produce a champion.
“The champions will converge somewhere in February for the championship playoff. We will showcase the best 11 plus the reserve team, who will go on a playing tour of Europe to understand more aspect of football and come home and become useful for Nigeria in terms of getting a pool of next U-17 and U-20 players,” Elegbeleye said.
He charged the committee to thoroughly screen for genuine U-17 players, warning that any club that indulged in age cheat will not be eligible to participate in the tournament where players will be selected for the playing tour of Europe.
Elegbeleye also noted that the selected players will be subjected to intense MRI screening to ensure they are true U-17 players.
In his response, Inyama promised that the committee will be intentional about the mandate by drawing on their experience and orginising a world class soccer programme.
He thanked the Chairman of NPFL for finding them worthy to entrust such responsibility on members of the committee, assuring that they will not only deliver but not also let Nigerians down.
