COD to fly Nigeria's flag at Lisboa Cup in Portugal

THE U-16 football team of National League side, COD United, will end Nigeria's 10-year absence at the Lisboa Cup when it participates in the 2012 edition of the prestigious youth tourney in Portugal alongside Bayern Leverkusen of Germany and Vasco da Gamaof Brazil, among others.COD United will become the first Nigerian side invited to field a team at the tournament in the past 10 years following a ban on Nigerian teams due to persistent age discrepancies by the country's representatives.Speaking at a media parley, the chief executive of COD United, Sola Opaleye, said: 'We are delighted to announce that our U-16 team will compete in the 2012 Iber Cup in Portugal this year.'They will be departing the country for Portugal on June 22 to fly the nation's flag at the tournament where they will compete with some of the biggest clubs in world football such as Benfica, Vasco Da Gama and Bayer Leverkusen.'We are excited about this opportunity and will continue to strive to ensure that our devotion to youth development is unwavering and the first step towards achieving this is by fielding a truly U-16 team.'And coach of the team, Manasseh Solomon, added: 'We are well prepared. The club has given us everything we need and our training facilities are the best in the country.'Captain of the team, 15-year old SS1 student discovered in Jos, Plateau State, Nansel Tali, thanked the club for going to such length to nurture their God-given talent just as he promised that they were fully focused on winning the competition.
Click here to read full news..