U-17 WWC: Busari urges Flamingos to stay focused for Japan final

FIFA U17 Women's World Cup Final - Previews

Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team coach, Akeem Busari, has urged his players to stay focused and keep their fighting spirit as they prepare to face Japan in the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

Busari warned that reaching the final was not enough, insisting that the Flamingos must continue working hard if they are to complete their historic campaign by winning the trophy.

“We want to make our mentality right; we want to put our attitude down to the players as well so they can see the job is not yet done; we’re still on the track race. We’ll just have to really fight on until we get there,” he said at the final press conference, according to FIFA.

Nigeria are seeking to become the first African country to win the competition, having already made history by reaching the final for the first time.

The coach also reflected on how his team recovered from a difficult start to the tournament, revealing that he had to counsel the players after their 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening Group B match.

According to Busari, the technical crew discussed the players’ mentality, attitude, and understanding of the team’s game plan.

“After the first game, we needed to sit them down, psychologically talk to them, talk about our game plan and all we have been doing in the sessions,” he said.

“We needed to change our attitude and character, but because of their age, we just needed to talk to them, to counsel them, and those are the points that make the difference.”

The intervention preceded a remarkable run in which Nigeria won five consecutive matches against Puerto Rico, defending champions DPR Korea, Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil to reach the final.

Their 3-1 victory over DPR Korea was particularly significant, as it dented the Asian side’s hopes of retaining the title and gave the Flamingos confidence ahead of their meeting with Japan.

Busari said the performance against DPR Korea offered some indication of what Nigeria could expect from Japan but cautioned that the final would present a different challenge.

“From what we saw against DPR [Korea], I think it’s the core of what we should expect more of from the Japanese,” he told FIFA. “But it’s a different ballgame because, for both us and them, the game will not be the same. The character, mentality and attitude with which you approach every game, and at every other level too, is what really matters.”

Japan now stand between Nigeria and their first U-17 Women’s World Cup title. The final gives the Flamingos a chance to turn their historic run into an unprecedented triumph for African women’s football.

Tunde Eludini is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria where he studied International Relations. He is a Senior Correspondent coordinating the sports section for PREMIUM TIMES. Twitter: @tundeyeludini