By Emmanuel Afonne
The Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Sunday Dare, has commended the Flying Eagles for their third-place finish at the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Egypt.
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles humbled the Young Carthage Eagles of Tunisia 4-0 on Friday to clinch the bronze medal, setting a record of finishing on the podium in the competition a record 13 times.
Dare, in a statement issued on Friday by his Special Assistant on Media, Toyin Ibitoye, described the bronze medal as better than nothing.
The minister charged the team to put to good use lessons learnt at the tournament as they prepare for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Indonesia in May.
“We were disappointed that we couldn’t play in the final or win this competition as planned but this convincing victory over Tunisia has redeemed some of the pain we felt last Monday after the game with The Gambia.
“A bronze medal is better than nothing.
“Now we have to also focus on doing a lot better at the World Cup in Indonesia in May.
“There is very little time left but I believe the coaches now know where their focus should be in improving the team,” the statement quoted Dare as saying.
The FIFA Under-20 World Cup is scheduled to hold between May 20 and June 11 in Indonesia. (NAN)
