Head coach of Nigeria’s U-17 WNT, Bankole Olowookere, has expressed full confidence about their readiness ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers, second leg against Algeria.
On Saturday, hosting the North Africans, Nigeria eased to a 4-0 victory in the first leg, at the Remo Stars Stadium.
They will head to Algeria for the return leg to seal their FIFA World Cup qualification spot.
Speaking ahead of the decisive fixture, Olowookere addressed concerns surrounding potential weather and match conditions, underlining the team’s adaptability and experience on the international stage.
“We’re talking about the weather. When we are going to adjust, we’ve been to Europe before, we’ve gone to India before. It’s about being adapted to the system,” he said.
Olowookere revealed that the technical crew has strategically scheduled night training sessions both in Nigeria and upon arrival in Algeria, as a means of aligning with expected match conditions.
“What we do from our training, it’s going to be night. Maybe the next training we’re going to do before we leave this place, we’ll be training at night.”
“When we get there, our training pass is going to be at night.”
Reflecting on controversial moments from past campaigns, he cited their 2022 trip to Egypt, where the team encountered unexpected challenges.
“Our experience last in 2022, when we went to Egypt, they were putting infrared light on our booking pass.”
“We know all those things, but we’ll find a way. We protested and then we have to stop.”
Emphasizing the team’s mental resilience and tactical awareness, the coach assured fans that the Flamingos are equipped to manage any distractions or unexpected tactics.
“So when we get there, if they bring any ads, we’ll know how to contain that.”
“The most important thing, we are going there to play our game, to secure the ticket for Nigeria.”
“We know if we achieve something, it cannot just come in a platter and go.”
“We’re going to see how that goes, but we’ll find a way to contain that.”
The Flamingos hold their 4 goals advantage from the first leg and will look to book a ticket to the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic, scheduled between October 16 and November 3.
