The Flying Eagles qualify for the 2023 U20 AFCON to be held in Egypt, after beating CIV 2-1 after extra time in the semi-finals (1-1 at full-time), and thus emerging as one of the top 2 teams (the top 2 teams qualify), despite some rather dodgy officiating.
One to Watch: DANIEL DAGA, the youngest player on the team (originally called up for the U17 team), won MOTM again for the second consecutive game. I don't really like doing "next" projections, but has shown potential to be another Mikel-type player.
PS: Meanwhile, why does it seem that Niger Republic is always hosting these tournaments? The pitch is poor, and the weather (at least this time of the year) is oppressive!
It feels damn good Nigeria scoring goals again,after watching 270 mins of SE without a goal. thumbs: up FE!!!!! Down with Eguaveon. I know it’s only Wafu B but I’m celebrating this one tonite.
Re: WAFU B U20: NIGERIA 2 v CIV 1 (AET)
Posted: Tue May 17, 2022 11:55 pm
by Gotti
The Flying Eagles will now meet surprise team Benin Republic in the final...
Re: WAFU B U20: NIGERIA 2 v CIV 1 (AET)
Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 6:37 am
by Orion
So qualification for the U20 is now a regional thing?
It means the competition is no longer made up of the best teams in Africa.
Re: WAFU B U20: NIGERIA 2 v CIV 1 (AET)
Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 9:02 am
by Dammy
Orion wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 6:37 am
So qualification for the U20 is now a regional thing?
It means the competition is no longer made up of the best teams in Africa.
Orion wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 6:37 am
So qualification for the U20 is now a regional thing?
It means the competition is no longer made up of the best teams in Africa.
Qualifying for AFCON U20 not the WC.
Same thing, since the 4 semi-finalists at the U20 AFCON will qualify for the U20 WC...
That means that traditionally strong nations like Ghana, CIV and Burkina Faso are already out of the U20 WCQs.
Orion wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 6:37 am
So qualification for the U20 is now a regional thing?
It means the competition is no longer made up of the best teams in Africa.
Qualifying for AFCON U20 not the WC.
Same thing, since the 4 semi-finalists at the U20 AFCON will qualify for the U20 WC...
That means that traditionally strong nations like Ghana, CIV and Burkina Faso are already out of the U20 WCQs.
Correct. Another CAF ojoro to give the "smaller" nations a chance of playing at the World Cup.
Re: WAFU B U20: NIGERIA 2 v CIV 1 (AET)
Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 3:49 pm
by Purity
CAF trying to develope other regions at the expense of West Africa.
Re: WAFU B U20: NIGERIA 2 v CIV 1 (AET)
Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 4:27 pm
by Damunk
Purity wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 3:49 pm
CAF trying to develope other regions at the expense of West Africa.
Seems so.
Is no one going to call them out?
Until we receive another Zaire-esque beating before our eye clear.
Re: WAFU B U20: NIGERIA 2 v CIV 1 (AET)
Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 4:54 pm
by Sunset
Purity wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 3:49 pm
CAF trying to develope other regions at the expense of West Africa.
But what's stopping the WAFU region from developing itself?
Purity wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 3:49 pm
CAF trying to develope other regions at the expense of West Africa.
But what's stopping the WAFU region from developing itself?
The point is that we're already more developed in youth competitions than other African regions but we're now being restricted so that we eliminate each other before the African U20 tourney.
Purity wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 3:49 pm
CAF trying to develope other regions at the expense of West Africa.
But what's stopping the WAFU region from developing itself?
The point is that we're already more developed in youth competitions than other African regions but we're now being restricted so that we eliminate each other before the African U20 tourney.
Well we can't forget the AFCON is a CAF competition and not a WAFU one so representation of the continent is important, even then the WAFU region have twice (4 out of 12) as many spots in the tournament than any other region competing in it. The thing about these youth teams is you can have a good reputation and still have a set underperform like how Osimhen's (Chukwueze, Nwakali, etc) got knocked out by Sudan in the (old format) qualifiers for the 2017 edition. Nothing is ever guaranteed.
I do think WAFU could be a lot more creative with their qualifiers in particular though, if it were structured better it would probably be a more exciting than the AFCON itself.
Re: WAFU B U20: NIGERIA 2 v CIV 1 (AET)
Posted: Wed May 18, 2022 6:06 pm
by 1naija
My observation:
The penalty was questionable.
Hmmm! Why did the penalty taker shave his head?
Sunset wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 6:00 pm
Well we can't forget the AFCON is a CAF competition and not a WAFU one so representation of the continent is important, even then the WAFU region have twice (4 out of 12) as many spots in the tournament than any other region competing in it. The thing about these youth teams is you can have a good reputation and still have a set underperform like how Osimhen's (Chukwueze, Nwakali, etc) got knocked out by Sudan in the (old format) qualifiers for the 2017 edition. Nothing is ever guaranteed.
I do think WAFU could be a lot more creative with their qualifiers in particular though, if it were structured better it would probably be a more exciting than the AFCON itself.
Nigeria should not be playing Ghana or even CIV until the African U20 competition itself. Those countries should have been seeded based on how they've performed in youth competitions in the past.
Sunset wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 6:00 pm
Well we can't forget the AFCON is a CAF competition and not a WAFU one so representation of the continent is important, even then the WAFU region have twice (4 out of 12) as many spots in the tournament than any other region competing in it. The thing about these youth teams is you can have a good reputation and still have a set underperform like how Osimhen's (Chukwueze, Nwakali, etc) got knocked out by Sudan in the (old format) qualifiers for the 2017 edition. Nothing is ever guaranteed.
I do think WAFU could be a lot more creative with their qualifiers in particular though, if it were structured better it would probably be a more exciting than the AFCON itself.
Nigeria should not be playing Ghana or even CIV until the African U20 competition itself. Those countries should have been seeded based on how they've performed in youth competitions in the past.
Orion,
Blame the likes of Pinnick and co who sold out their strengths for temporary political gain and silver. If you check the threads, I pointed this out at the onset when Hayatou was overthrown and replaced. I was not in support of Hayatou but I was shocked at the collapse of the likes of Pinnick in succumbing to a monumental defeat at the hands of East and Central Africans who imposed this zoning upon the election of Ahmad Ahmad.
Sunset wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 6:00 pm
Well we can't forget the AFCON is a CAF competition and not a WAFU one so representation of the continent is important, even then the WAFU region have twice (4 out of 12) as many spots in the tournament than any other region competing in it. The thing about these youth teams is you can have a good reputation and still have a set underperform like how Osimhen's (Chukwueze, Nwakali, etc) got knocked out by Sudan in the (old format) qualifiers for the 2017 edition. Nothing is ever guaranteed.
I do think WAFU could be a lot more creative with their qualifiers in particular though, if it were structured better it would probably be a more exciting than the AFCON itself.
Nigeria should not be playing Ghana or even CIV until the African U20 competition itself. Those countries should have been seeded based on how they've performed in youth competitions in the past.
Orion,
Blame the likes of Pinnick and co who sold out their strengths for temporary political gain and silver. If you check the threads, I pointed this out at the onset when Hayatou was overthrown and replaced. I was not in support of Hayatou but I was shocked at the collapse of the likes of Pinnick in succumbing to a monumental defeat at the hands of East and Central Africans who imposed this zoning upon the election of Ahmad Ahmad.
It seems like you're both taking these youth tournaments a bit too seriously if you ask me, let's not forget the purpose of them in the first place which is development. This idea of seeding teams would only make sense at the senior national/club level as there's some form of continuity there while the difference between youth teams can be night and day.
Sunset wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 6:00 pm
Well we can't forget the AFCON is a CAF competition and not a WAFU one so representation of the continent is important, even then the WAFU region have twice (4 out of 12) as many spots in the tournament than any other region competing in it. The thing about these youth teams is you can have a good reputation and still have a set underperform like how Osimhen's (Chukwueze, Nwakali, etc) got knocked out by Sudan in the (old format) qualifiers for the 2017 edition. Nothing is ever guaranteed.
I do think WAFU could be a lot more creative with their qualifiers in particular though, if it were structured better it would probably be a more exciting than the AFCON itself.
Nigeria should not be playing Ghana or even CIV until the African U20 competition itself. Those countries should have been seeded based on how they've performed in youth competitions in the past.
Orion,
Blame the likes of Pinnick and co who sold out their strengths for temporary political gain and silver. If you check the threads, I pointed this out at the onset when Hayatou was overthrown and replaced. I was not in support of Hayatou but I was shocked at the collapse of the likes of Pinnick in succumbing to a monumental defeat at the hands of East and Central Africans who imposed this zoning upon the election of Ahmad Ahmad.
It seems like you're both taking these youth tournaments a bit too seriously if you ask me, let's not forget the purpose of them in the first place which is development. This idea of seeding teams would only make sense at the senior national/club level as there's some form of continuity there while the difference between youth teams can be night and day.
If Africa is not taking the youth tournaments seriously, then you're right. They're not sending the best 12 teams in Africa to the Africa U20 Cup of Nations because they don't take it seriously. They're not sending the best 4 teams in Africa to the U20 WC because they don't take it seriously. How can you claim something you're not taking seriously is "development"?
IMO, real development is to help other regions falling behind to improve and catch up with West Africa, not suppress WA to create an artificial lower-level playing field.
The Africa U20 Cup of Nations would be of higher quality, more competitive, and produce the best reps for Africa if you have the very best teams from Africa there, which is why seeding at the early stages is important.
Sunset wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 6:00 pm
Well we can't forget the AFCON is a CAF competition and not a WAFU one so representation of the continent is important, even then the WAFU region have twice (4 out of 12) as many spots in the tournament than any other region competing in it. The thing about these youth teams is you can have a good reputation and still have a set underperform like how Osimhen's (Chukwueze, Nwakali, etc) got knocked out by Sudan in the (old format) qualifiers for the 2017 edition. Nothing is ever guaranteed.
I do think WAFU could be a lot more creative with their qualifiers in particular though, if it were structured better it would probably be a more exciting than the AFCON itself.
Nigeria should not be playing Ghana or even CIV until the African U20 competition itself. Those countries should have been seeded based on how they've performed in youth competitions in the past.
Orion,
Blame the likes of Pinnick and co who sold out their strengths for temporary political gain and silver. If you check the threads, I pointed this out at the onset when Hayatou was overthrown and replaced. I was not in support of Hayatou but I was shocked at the collapse of the likes of Pinnick in succumbing to a monumental defeat at the hands of East and Central Africans who imposed this zoning upon the election of Ahmad Ahmad.
It seems like you're both taking these youth tournaments a bit too seriously if you ask me, let's not forget the purpose of them in the first place which is development. This idea of seeding teams would only make sense at the senior national/club level as there's some form of continuity there while the difference between youth teams can be night and day.
If Africa is not taking the youth tournaments seriously, then you're right. They're not sending the best 12 teams in Africa to the Africa U20 Cup of Nations because they don't take it seriously. They're not sending the best 4 teams in Africa to the U20 WC because they don't take it seriously. How can you claim something you're not taking seriously is "development"?
IMO, real development is to help other regions falling behind to improve and catch up with West Africa, not suppress WA to create an artificial lower-level playing field.
The Africa U20 Cup of Nations would be of higher quality, more competitive, and produce the best reps for Africa if you have the very best teams from Africa there, which is why seeding at the early stages is important.
That still remains a huge assumption on your part bros, to put it simply if the West African region is as strong as you claim, wouldn't their four reps qualify (overcoming the top West African sides) be good enough to beat these weaker teams at the AFCON? Where you need to get to the semi finals to qualify for the World Cup. Regardless of anything you still have to beat those in your region to make it to the next stage no one is getting reward for mediocrity. If you look at Europe we have the likes of Italy, Belgium & Germany fighting for on spot just to get to the Euros (World cup qualifiers), so should we say they are doing the same?
If we're talking about real development, if that was the reality there wouldn't be such an over-reliance on these particular youth tournaments in the first place, as it can't be the only way to ascertain our talents at that level as there are so many other avenues that can work alongside it.
Re: WAFU B U20: NIGERIA 2 v CIV 1 (AET)
Posted: Thu May 19, 2022 9:26 pm
by Orion
Sunset wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 8:23 pm
That still remains a huge assumption on your part bros, to put it simply if the West African region is as strong as you claim, wouldn't their four reps qualify (overcoming the top West African sides) be good enough to beat these weaker teams at the AFCON? Where you need to get to the semi finals to qualify for the World Cup. Regardless of anything you still have to beat those in your region to make it to the next stage no one is getting reward for mediocrity. If you look at Europe we have the likes of Italy, Belgium & Germany fighting for on spot just to get to the Euros (World cup qualifiers), so should we say they are doing the same?
If we're talking about real development, if that was the reality there wouldn't be such an over-reliance on these particular youth tournaments in the first place, as it can't be the only way to ascertain our talents at that level as there are so many other avenues that can work alongside it.
OK, you're all over the place now. We're talking in particular about the youth teams. If you claim this regional thing is about "development" then I'm saying they're going about it the wrong way. Development is about lifting everyone up, not about artificially lowering the standards by limiting some areas. Seeding has been a proven way of getting the best teams/players to the final stages of a competition. Small teams also get better by playing teams better than them so you want to keep the level of competition high.
You're saying it's an assumption to say some regions have done better in youth competitions? It's not an assumption. It's a fact. Historic data does matter even in youth football. In the past 40+ years, the competition has been won primarily by West African and North African sides. West African sides have performed better at the U20 World Cup itself. That data should be used for a seeding system.
BTW, as you pointed out, giving WA slightly more slots means CAF is actually acknowledging WA's superiority in this area. So, it is not an assumption. But look at West B Zone. That is an atrocity as most of the teams there have traditionally been better than all the other teams in youth competitions, yet only 2 can qualify. My contention is that it's very flawed if you can have two sides that could potentially meet in the final taking themselves out before the competition even starts and lowering the quality of the competition, which does nothing for development.
Re: WAFU B U20: NIGERIA 2 v CIV 1 (AET)
Posted: Thu May 19, 2022 10:00 pm
by imehjunior
1naija wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 6:06 pm
My observation:
The penalty was questionable.
Hmmm! Why did the penalty taker shave his head?
Sunset wrote: ↑Thu May 19, 2022 8:23 pm
That still remains a huge assumption on your part bros, to put it simply if the West African region is as strong as you claim, wouldn't their four reps qualify (overcoming the top West African sides) be good enough to beat these weaker teams at the AFCON? Where you need to get to the semi finals to qualify for the World Cup. Regardless of anything you still have to beat those in your region to make it to the next stage no one is getting reward for mediocrity. If you look at Europe we have the likes of Italy, Belgium & Germany fighting for on spot just to get to the Euros (World cup qualifiers), so should we say they are doing the same?
If we're talking about real development, if that was the reality there wouldn't be such an over-reliance on these particular youth tournaments in the first place, as it can't be the only way to ascertain our talents at that level as there are so many other avenues that can work alongside it.
OK, you're all over the place now. We're talking in particular about the youth teams. If you claim this regional thing is about "development" then I'm saying they're going about it the wrong way. Development is about lifting everyone up, not about artificially lowering the standards by limiting some areas. Seeding has been a proven way of getting the best teams/players to the final stages of a competition. Small teams also get better by playing teams better than them so you want to keep the level of competition high.
You're saying it's an assumption to say some regions have done better in youth competitions? It's not an assumption. It's a fact. Historic data does matter even in youth football. In the past 40+ years, the competition has been won primarily by West African and North African sides. West African sides have performed better at the U20 World Cup itself. That data should be used for a seeding system.
BTW, as you pointed out, giving WA slightly more slots means CAF is actually acknowledging WA's superiority in this area. So, it is not an assumption. But look at West B Zone. That is an atrocity as most of the teams there have traditionally been better than all the other teams in youth competitions, yet only 2 can qualify. My contention is that it's very flawed if you can have two sides that could potentially meet in the final taking themselves out before the competition even starts and lowering the quality of the competition, which does nothing for development.
I must be missing something because the whole post is wrt youth teams. The WAFU qualifiers are far from perfect, personally it would've made more sense to either stage a full WAFU cup with all the teams competing or just run a point based qualifier. But it has actually revived the WAFU region in terms of youth tournament activities, if not for this shift they would see no need in running these kind of competitions on a yearly basis like they do in other regions. I'm also sure that WAFU being the region with the most teams (16) in CAF played a role in them getting the 4 spots.
I said it's an assumption to think because our previous youth teams did well that the same would be the case with future sets, as our current system doesn't give me that kind of confidence. Historic data does hold some weight but if we're going to do that should we also factor in our long history of age cheating that enabled a lot of this success? This is what I mean when I say we take these competitions too seriously. The same teams that can potentially meet in the finals could also potentially not make it out of the group stages which is why I don't have time for hypotheticals.
Sunset wrote: ↑Wed May 18, 2022 6:00 pm
Well we can't forget the AFCON is a CAF competition and not a WAFU one so representation of the continent is important, even then the WAFU region have twice (4 out of 12) as many spots in the tournament than any other region competing in it. The thing about these youth teams is you can have a good reputation and still have a set underperform like how Osimhen's (Chukwueze, Nwakali, etc) got knocked out by Sudan in the (old format) qualifiers for the 2017 edition. Nothing is ever guaranteed.
I do think WAFU could be a lot more creative with their qualifiers in particular though, if it were structured better it would probably be a more exciting than the AFCON itself.
Nigeria should not be playing Ghana or even CIV until the African U20 competition itself. Those countries should have been seeded based on how they've performed in youth competitions in the past.
Orion,
Blame the likes of Pinnick and co who sold out their strengths for temporary political gain and silver. If you check the threads, I pointed this out at the onset when Hayatou was overthrown and replaced. I was not in support of Hayatou but I was shocked at the collapse of the likes of Pinnick in succumbing to a monumental defeat at the hands of East and Central Africans who imposed this zoning upon the election of Ahmad Ahmad.
It seems like you're both taking these youth tournaments a bit too seriously if you ask me, let's not forget the purpose of them in the first place which is development. This idea of seeding teams would only make sense at the senior national/club level as there's some form of continuity there while the difference between youth teams can be night and day.
Sunset,
Development does not abhor having the best players/teams get to play the best teams from other continents. What the current system does is prevent opportunity for the four or so best African youth teams to compete at the global level. Note, that teams are often disbanded after elimination. Have you noticed the almost corresponding decline of Ghana and Nigeria with the introduction of this new system. Note also how Africa has also declined. Yet, even with the introduction of ways to monitor age cheating, these African teams performed creditably before the zoning came into place.
