- By Halimah Olamide
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), has announced that the Katsina Football Academy has qualified to represent Nigeria at the Dana Cup competition due to take place in Denmark.
Sharif Abdallah, the Public Relations Manager, Flying Eagle’s NFF disclosed this on Sunday while briefing newsmen in Katsina.
According to him, the academy qualified to participate in the tournament because it was well established and operates within the age range.
“The academy qualified because it has shown readiness and commitment to explore this kind of opportunity in spite of the fact that it was recently established.
“Therefore, the Katsina football academy has qualified to represent Nigeria at the tournament,” the NFF representative said.
He gave the assurance that NFF would continue to support the football academy, adding that it’s the first of its kind fully supported by the government.
In his response, the Commissioner for Youths and Sports in the state, Alhaji Aliyu Lawal-Zakari, commended NFF for considering the academy to represent the country.
The commissioner said, “It’s one of the great achievements of Gov. Dikko Radda’s administration especially regarding youth development.
“Because this achievement will give the students the opportunity to showcase their talent at the international level. ”
Lawal-Zakari disclosed that five of the academy’s students got the opportunity to play for international clubs, while three of them were preparing to play for the Under-20 national team.
The Dana Cup, one of the world’s biggest football tournaments, takes place every year in the North Jutland town of Hjørring in Denmark at the end of July.
The Dana Cup is a sporting challenge mixed with a cultural experience where young soccer players regardless of borders, skin color, politics and religion can meet in a safe environment.