March 07, (THEWILL) – The Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, has charged the Flying Eagles to focus on the upcoming Under-20 World Cup in Indonesia, following their loss to The Gambia in the semi-finals of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
The Minister’s statement came on Tuesday and was issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Toyin Ibitoye. Dare expressed regret over the team’s inability to make it to the AFCON final, but commended them for securing a place in the World Cup.
“The Honourable Minister encouraged the boys. Everybody is disappointed we didn’t make it to the final but that is football for you. I believe they will redeem themselves by winning Friday’s third-place match,” the statement quoted Dare as saying.
The Minister encouraged the players to work hard and improve their performance, stating that there was very little time left before the World Cup in May. “Now, we have to also focus on doing a lot better at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Indonesia in May,” Dare stated.
Although the team failed to make it to the AFCON final, they have a chance to redeem themselves in the third-place fixture and later this year at the upcoming World Cup.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
