CHAN Eagles should be built on WAFU gains —LMC

Player and officials of the Super Eagles squad to the just-ended West African Football Union (WAFU) tournament in Ghana have received commendation from the League Management Company (LMC) which urged them to build on the lessons learnt from the sub-continental championship for the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN).

The players were drawn from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) organised by the LMC.

LMC chairman, Shehu Dikko who was at the final on Sunday, said he was impressed by the fight in the players that saw them come from the brink of ouster at the group stage to reach the final.

“Winning the trophy would no doubt have been delightful, but the LMC is happy for the exposure the players have gained from playing in an international tournament of this nature and more importantly, it is a learning curve for them ahead of the 2018 CHAN,” stated Dikko.

The LMC described the tournament as a ‘win-win’ for domestic football in Nigeria and the entire West Africa, noting that the strength of West African football can be seen in the dominance of West African teams to recent World Cup tournaments.

Dikko also noted that the tournament has offered the players and coaches more time to bond and understand each other as compared to when they were just invited to camp to play for the CHAN qualifiers, adding, “It is our belief that a lot has been learnt on the side of the coaches and on the side of the players.

“Whatever gaps were observed at the WAFU tournament will be the tool to improve the team going forward.”

The Super Eagles were beaten 1-4 by hosts, Black Stars of Ghana in the final of the resuscitated regional football tournament for countries of West Africa under the umbrella body, WAFU.

Other countries that reached the second round group fixtures after the knock-out series were Guinea, Niger, Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast and Benin Republic.