In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Coach Solomon Yola assured that the senior nationwide males’s group is placing within the shift for an excellent outing in Egypt
The Nigeria males’s handball nationwide group, nicknamed the Golden Arrows, has stepped up preparations in Abuja for the upcoming twenty third African Males’s Handball Cup of Nations in Egypt.
This event, scheduled for 19-29 January 2024, will see Nigeria tackle formidable opponents, together with 10-time champion Tunisia, Angola, and Kenya, in Group D.
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday, Coach Solomon Yola assured that the Golden Arrows are placing within the shift for an excellent outing in Egypt, although he admits the project forward of them might be powerful.
Certainly, the stakes are excessive at this 12 months’s Nations Cup, as it can function the qualification event for each the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2025 World Handball Championship.
Coach Yola believes Nigeria can combat for one of many qualification tickets to the World Championships and Olympics, although the first objective is to enhance on their final outing with the newly assembled younger group.
Coach Yola mentioned, “Now we have a variety of younger gamers within the group, and the goal is straightforward: to be higher than the final outing on the Nations Cup.”
Regardless of not advancing from the group stage within the final Nations Cup, Nigeria completed second within the President’s Cup and presently ranks ninth in Africa.
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This upward development is a testomony to the dedication of the gamers and the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN).
Coach Yola acknowledges their challenges however expresses optimism: “In each aspect of life, there are challenges. Now we have to enhance the groups, what they want, and all that. With what the current president and board are doing, we hope issues will get higher.”
Teamwork
Whereas acknowledging the significance of particular person expertise, Coach Yola careworn that “handball is a group sport” and that he “banks on all of them [his players].” Gamers like Yusuf Faruk and captain Obina Anih, together with different key gamers, might be essential in main the group to success.
The Golden Arrows’ journey begins on 17 January, with their opening match towards Angola.
Their fifteenth look on the Nations Cup, with a finest end of fourth place in 1998, serves as a reminder of their potential.
With a mix of expertise, youth, and unwavering willpower, the Nigeria males’s senior handball nationwide group could make a big affect on the African and worldwide handball scene.
