Musa Hamza, Board Member, Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN), says U-18 and U-20 national  teams have the potential to dominate the 2019 World Men’s Junior Handball Championship to hold in Spain in 2019.

Hamza told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos that the teams’ performances at the continental championships, which served as qualifiers for the world’s tournament, were outstanding.

NAN reports that U-18 is the junior team while U-20 is the youth team.

Both teams emerged champions at continental championships held in Kigali in August and qualified for the Africa Junior Nations Cup held in Morocco in September, where they booked the world tournament tickets.

“Our junior teams are coming up and are beginning to take their places in Africa which is an indication that they have the capacities to rule the handball community even beyond the continent.

“Their performances in Kigali and Morocco in August and September are impressive and give us hope that Nigeria will be a force to reckon with in the 2019 world junior championship.

“I have no doubt that the players are impressed with activities of this board, which I believe contributed meaningfully to their career,’’ he said.

“We are throwing our support to the world junior championship-bound teams, and efforts will be put in place to ensure that every activity for the tournament is given priority attention,’’ he added.

According to him, members of the national team were drawn from its affiliated state teams.  NAN reports that the teams qualified alongside Egypt and Tunisia. (NAN)

– Oct. 22, 2018 @ 15:17 GMT