The President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), Samuel Ocheho, has called for support for the Under-23 team ahead of the tourney which will see them face the United States (US), Azerbaijan and Moldova in the group stage.

The International Handball Federation on Wednesday at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland conducted the draw for the fifth IHF Emerging Nations Championship which will take place in Bulgaria.

Nigeria’s U-23 men’s handball team was handed a tough draw, especially as they will play tough customers, the US in Group B of the tournament scheduled for March 11 to 16, 2025.

Having lost to the Americans in one of the group games in their very first edition of the Emerging Nations Championship in 2019 in Georgia, HFN president, Ocheho has called for support for the Nigerian U-23 side.

Ocheho believes this is an opportunity for Nigeria to improve on their previous performances at the Emerging Nations Championship which will be the third time they would be participating.

According to him, the HFN will ensure that the team succeeds at the championship, but only if they get enough support

“This is a tricky group for our boys but I see opportunities as it is an opportunity for the team to improve on their previous 7th place standings in the championship,” Ocheho said.

“We also know our opponents in this competition and will give all the necessary support for the team to succeed because we believe they will thrive in the championship.”

Ocheho also made an appeal to the National Sports Commission (NSC) led by Shehu Dikko to support the HFN as it continuously pushes to put Nigeria’s handball on the global map.

The Nigerian U-23 handball team, meanwhile, defeated one of their opponents in this year’s tournament, Azerbaijan in another group match in the 2023 edition which took place in Bulgaria.

https://guardian.ng/sport/handball-hfn-seeks-support-as-nigeria-gets-usa-azerbaijan-moldova-in-u-23-tourney/