Nigeria’s representatives in this year’s CAF African Schools Football Championship, National Grammar School, Nike, Enugu State, were off to a roaring start with a 4-0 defeat of their Togolese counterparts, as the WAFU B zonal finals of the championship began in Lome yesterday.

Nike National Grammar School had emerged champions of a national championship staged in the Federal Capital, Abuja from November 2 to 9, 2023, which featured 11 teams from nine states of the federation.

There were teams from Yobe, Enugu, Plateau, Borno, Oyo, Ogun, Taraba and Kwara states as well as the FCT in the U-15 competition. In the girls’ category, FOSLA Academy emerged champions of a three-team competition and is flying Nigeria’s flag in the girls’ event.

Representatives from Nigeria, Benin Republic, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and hosts, Togo, are in Lome for the four-day WAFU B zonal finals that will end on Sunday.

The matches are holding at the Stade Municipal de Kegue in a round-robin format. The winner will fly WAFU B’s flag at the continental finals slated for April 2024.

The zonal finals are being staged alongside the WAFU B Congress, being attended by Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau and the General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi.

Over 800,000 boys and girls from 28,000 schools across 44 countries are participating in this season’s CAF African Schools Football Championship, which is the brainchild of the Confederation of African Football President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe.