TheCable

The Golden Eaglets were accorded a reception worthy of heroes on their return to the country on Wednesday following a successful campaign at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile.

The team touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international airport, Abuja aboard Emirates Airline flight EK 785 from Dubai and were met by thousands of sports fans.

The fans cheered lustily as the players and their officials disembarked from the plane which brought them from Lagos, where they had earlier been received on arrival from Chile.

The Eaglets were later taken in a motorcade on a road show on some major streets of Abuja metropolis.

Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhassan Yakmut, while welcoming the Eaglets at the airport, said the players have further entrenched Nigeria on the world football map.

“The entire nation is proud of you. You have done a great thing to bring honour to this country, and Mr. President is very delighted. I also wish to convey to you the joy of the new Honourable Minister of Youth and Sports,” he said.

“The boys have put us above other countries in Africa and in the world, since they are the first country to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup back-to-back, and this is why we are celebrating.

“Nigeria is the best country and that is why we are celebrating this arrival. President Buhari is one president that comes with lots of luck for this country.

“In the last three weeks, it has been sports successes for us across the whole world in every sports Nigeria participated in, and we are looking forward to more.”

A cultural troupe entertained just outside the arrival hall and made it possible for several airport officials, travellers and fans to take photographs with the players and officials, as captain Kelechi Nwakali held the glittering trophy aloft all the way.

Thereafter, players and officials were driven round some areas of the Federal Capital Territory in a motorcade before the convoy arrived at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel.

The new minister of youth and sports, Solomon Dalong, later had dinner with the players at the hotel.

The Golden Eaglets will be decamped on Thursday, to reconvene for a presidential reception at a later date.