Philip Shaibu: Nigeria’s Under-17 World Cup win is a thank-you gift to Tinubu
Nigeria’s Under-17 women’s team beat Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final in Rabat to win the title for the first time. National Institute for Sports director-general Philip Shaibu called the victory a thank-you gift to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his administration’s support for sports development.
Philip Shaibu, director-general of Nigeria’s National Institute for Sports, described his country’s victory in the Under-17 Women’s World Cup as a thank-you gift to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in recognition of his administration’s support for sports development. He made the remarks after Nigeria beat Japan 2-1 in the final, held on Saturday in Rabat, to win the tournament for the first time.
The team had lost its opening match 2-1 to Poland, then recorded six consecutive wins on its way to the title, beating North Korea in the group stage and Brazil in the semi-final. In the final, Awuah Bashiru put Nigeria ahead in the 39th minute, and Olayiwola Omeyiaaku added a second after the break before Fuki Ito pulled one back for Japan in the 80th minute.
Shaibu said the victory was an important achievement for Nigerian football and a source of pride for the country, praising the players’ determination and ability to overcome a setback. He also congratulated the players, coaching staff, backroom personnel, Nigeria Football Federation and National Sports Commission, and called for continued support for young talent. He said he would not make any announcement on behalf of the federal government about possible rewards, but expressed confidence that President Tinubu would not disappoint the players.
Omeyiaaku won the tournament’s Golden Ball as its best player and was also named player of the final. American Maddy DiMaria won the Golden Boot after scoring 12 goals; North Korea’s Yu Jong Hyang received the Silver Ball, Fuki Ito the Bronze Ball, and North Korea goalkeeper Kim Son-kyong the Golden Glove, while Japan won the Fair Play Award.
According to the source, Nigeria became the first African country to win the Under-17 Women’s World Cup and the first African women’s team to win a FIFA world title at any level. The title added another achievement to Nigeria’s record in Under-17 tournaments, after the men’s team had previously won the World Cup in this age category five times.