Golden Arrow To Scale Africa Nations Handball Cup: Coach Salami

Head coach of Nigeria senior men handball team, Rafiu Salami, said the Golden Arrow will do all they can to scale through the 26th Africa Nations Handball Cup in Egypt.

Coach Salami made this known on Monday while speaking with journalist before the his side departed to Egypt from the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport Abuja.

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The head coach highlighted that the team is a young side and youthfulness can work in their favour as they have good prospect.

“We have a very young team, we were trying to groom the under 18 and 21 for the next Nations Cup. Things didn’t work out the way it suppose to work out, we had to take the old players.

The team is very young and sometimes youthfulness might help us so better things, it might work against us to, so it’s a two way thing. 

I work with them for a very long time, they have good prospect.

I’m not promising anything but we will do all we can to scale through.” 

The ex-Nigerian international also complained about the preparation towards the tournament as a challenge, adding that it may work against them.

“It’s the preparation that was the problem for us. Most teams are in big countries playing games two weeks ago, we had no match.

I had to beg the Abuja people to unit some boys for us to play, it was not a good opposition but at least we played somebody who doesn’t know us so that we will know in game situation how to correct things. That’s the only thing that can work against us and we didn’t have time to play friendly matches.”

Also talking to the press before their departure, captain of the Golden Arrow Sessugh Steven said the team is set for the Africa Nations Handball Cup

“We started the preparation a little bit late, but with what the coaches brought in the few weeks we had I believe that we are going to give a good fight”

This will be the 17th appearance for the Golden Arrow, who begin their campaign against Angola on Wednesday 17th January 2024, before they battle Tunisia Friday 19th January, then Kenya on 21st.

Nigeria’s best feat in the tournament was when they finished 4th in 1998.