Handball: Nigeria’s men U-18 and 20 teams begin preparation ahead of IHF Zone 3 Africa championship

February 4, 2024

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The Nigeria U-18 and 20 men handball national teams are in camp in Lagos ahead of the IHF Trophy Africa Zone 3 Phase which will hold in Ghana later in the month.

The IHF Trophy Africa Zone 3 will hold in Accra, Ghana from February 20 to 24, 2023 and Nigerian teams will be defending the title they won last year at the zonal level.

To this end, the U-18 team Coach, Emeka Nnamani and his U-20 counterpart, Coach Fidelis Obi invited eighteen players each for their teams and training is ongoing in earnest ahead of the competition at the Rowe Park Sports Center, Yaba, Lagos.

Tojemarine Academy’s Kareem Farouk, Yusuf Sulaiman of Rima Strikers and Mohammed Mustapha of Confluence Stars are some of the players that makes up the U- 18 men national team while Niger United’s John Shagari, Kareem Ajibike of Tojemarine Academy, Joseph Emmanuel of De Defenders and Ojo Olumide of Adidja Handball Club of Benin Republic make up the invited players for the U- 20 team.

Both teams will be playing in a round robin competition at the 2024 edition of the IHF Trophy Africa Zone 3 Phase with the U-18 team playing in the youth category alongside Benin Republic, host Ghana and Togo while the U-20 team face the likes of Benin Republic, Cote’d’voire, Ghana, Liberia and Togo in the Junior category.

The Nigerian teams will begin their campaign on February 20, 2023 as the U-18 team face Benin Republic while the U-20 play Liberia.

IHF Trophy for men, which is organized by the world handball governing body, International Handball Federation, commences this February and will finish early next year with the Intercontinental Phase.

It is a series of twenty tournaments across six continents in which each continent is divided in a set of number of zones based on geographical and competitive criteria.

The winner of each zone qualifies for the continental phase while the winner of each continental phase qualifies for the Intercontinental phase of the IHF trophy to determine the final winner.

The best youth team in each competitive cycle will also qualify for the Men’s Youth U-19 World Championship .

Nigeria U-18 men team are the champion of the Youth IHF Trophy Africa continental championship and finished third in the intercontinental phase while the U-20 came second at the continental phase.

Invited U-18 players

1. Kareem Faruk ( Tojemarine Academy)

2. Suleiman Azeez ( Tojemarine Academy)

3. Faloki Christian ( Tojemarine Academy)

4. Obabori Samuel ( Tojemarine Academy)

5. Ganiu Aduragbemi ( Tojemarine Academy)

6. AB Attahiru Sahabi ( Sokoto Rima- Goalkeeper)

7. Isyaka Mustapha ( Tojemarine Academy)

8. Aliyu Rufai ( Tojemarine Academy)

9. Yusuf Suleiman ( Sokoto Rima)

10. Mohamed Musa ( Road Safety )

11. Iorngohol Amos ( Benue- Goalkeeper)