NPFL All Stars Arrive South Africa For Gauteng Future Champions Tourney

FRANCIS ACHI /Abuja 

Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, U-17 All Stars have have arrived in South Africa to participate in this year’s Gauteng Future Champions football tournament.

The event is expected to run from March 20-27 in Gauteng, South Africa and will feature 12 teams, the organizers have confirmed.

NPFL U-17 All Stars will play in Group A against SAFA Tshwane and Torino FC.

In Group B, Bidwest Wits will battle Football School of India and Spartak Moscow. Group C will see Mamelodi Sundowns U17 face Club Tijuana and Club Brugge. Finally, Group D features Orlando Pirates, University of Pretoria and defending champions Atletico Madrid.

Coach Austin Eguavoen led a 20-man carefully selected and registered U-17 players from the NPFL to South Africa on Saturday afternoon.

The team which also had four officials as part of the delegation departed from the Kaduna International Airport via Ethiopian Airline straight to Addis Ababa and connected another flight to the OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg.

The team touched down at OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg at 01:43 am, early Sunday morning .

They will lodge at the Kopanong Hotel and Conference Centre, Northmead, Benoni 1522, South Africa.

The NPFL U-17 All Stars will play the opening match of the tournament as they lock horns with SAFA Tshwane in the morning of Monday March 20 at exactly 10.30 am and will play their second group game the next day against Torino FC at the same time.

Organisers have also confirmed that all the matches will be beamed live on Supersports four.

Austin Egwavoen, former Nigerian International is the coach of the NPFL U 17 All Stars and he disclosed exclusively to PM EXPRESS in Abuja before jetting out of the country that the tournament will be a good platform for the young players to showcase their talent to the world and it is also a learning process for the players in the round

leather game.

” I want to commend the LMC for putting together this NPFL U- 17 All Stars team and the players are very excited about the tournament. For me, I just want to say the tournament is an avenue for the players to learn and show the world the that football talent abound in Nigeria ” Egwavoen said.

Full List:

Goalkeepers:

Mohammed Galadima (Nasarawa United), Adebayo Adeleye (FC Ifeanyiubah)

Defenders:

Bilal Yusuf (Wikki Tourists), Fahad Usman Ahmad (Kano Pillars), Amiru Ahmad (Wikki Tourists), Valentine Nworah (Shooting Stars), Ebuka Nwenyi ( FC Ifeanyiubah), Ebuka Nweke ( Niger Tornadoes)

Midfielders:

Manji Williams (Wikki Tourists), Abba Suleiman (Kano Pillars), Onije Chisom Kenneth (Remo Stars), Mahmood Aliyu (Wikki Tourists), Sadiq Abdullahi (Wikki Tourists), Mohammed Sambo (Gombe United)

Forwards:

Toluwalase Arokodare (Gombe United), Dini Lawal (Wikki Tourists), Tari Ogidi Joseph (Katsina United), Nazifi Yahaya (Kano Pillars), Rafiu Kayode Ishaq (Shooting Stars), Mustapha Salisu Musa (Kano Pillars)