Sixteen Nigeria Handball players on Sunday arrived Gabon for the 2018 African Championship from 17th to 27th January. The President of Handball Federation of Nigeria, Mr Sam Ocheho, in a telephone conversation said the team consists of three foreign-based players and 13 home-based players.
He said the foreign-based players are Obinna Ani (KMC Sports Club Marrakech, Morocco), Philip Kalu (Maccabi Holon HB Club of Israel) and Adamolegbe Oladunjo (Al Shamal Sports Club Doha, Qatar)
The domestic league players are Joseph Udale (FRSC), Aminu Adamu (Kano Pillars), Ogedegbe Chris (Kano Pillars), Amadi Emmanuel (Kano Pillars), Samuel Samora (Nigerian Army), Aliyu Aminu (Niger United), Mudashiru Abdulmajid (Civil Defence), Sallau Saka (FRCS), Solomon Michael (Kano Pillars), Akande Tope (FRSC), Emeana Emmanuel (FRSC), Iortyer Stephen (Benue Buffalo), and Osas Michael (Civil Defence).
He said, “The federation expectation is to get a World Cup ticket which is very ambitious considering our stage of development. We have been camped for nearly two months and we believe the team will give a good show”.
Nigeria plays in a very tough Group B alongside with giants like Egypt, Angola, DR Congo and Morocco. The first four teams in the group qualify for the quarter-finals.
Other teams in the championships are Tunisia, Algeria, Cameroon, Gabon and Congo.
The Africa Championship is a perquisite for the 2019 IHF World Men’s Handball Championship, to be held in Denmark and Germany in 2019.
