April 08, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Under-23 Olympic Eagles football team is seeking a route back to Olympic qualification after losing out for the second time in a row.
The team alleges that their opponents, Guinea, fielded an over-aged player during the final qualifier for the U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco. The Olympic Eagles were beaten 2-0 on aggregate by Guinea and failed to make it to the AFCON.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has filed a petition with the Confederation of African Football (CAF), asking for Guinea to be disqualified because they believe they have evidence that one of their players, Fode Camara, was over-age. If Guinea is disqualified, Nigeria will progress to the U-23 AFCON, and the top three teams from the tournament will qualify automatically for the Paris 2024 Olympics men’s football tournament.
THEWILL recalls that the U-23 Eagles won bronze the last time they appeared in the Olympics, at Rio 2016, after being U-23 AFCON champions in 2015. If Nigeria secures a place in the upcoming tournament and finishes fourth or better, they will contest the Asian Football Confederation-CAF playoffs to determine the final Olympic qualification place.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
