Initially comprising 6 countries, the 1st edition of the President Cup, an U17 football tournament hosted by Togo, will now feature only 5 participating nations as Niger has withdrawn from the competition. The tournament, organized in celebration of the independence of Togo, experienced its first setback with Niger’s absence.
According to the organizers, Niger’s withdrawal was due to logistical reasons, as they missed their flight to Lomé on Wednesday. Despite efforts to find alternative solutions, it was challenging to rearrange travel plans before the start of the tournament, especially since Niger’s first match was scheduled for Saturday. This defection is regrettable, particularly considering Niger is set to host the next Africa Cup of Nations in the U17 category.
Currently, Nigeria and Benin are already present in the Togolese capital, while Ivory Coast is expected to arrive on Saturday and Mali on Sunday.
As a result of Niger’s withdrawal, Group B has been reduced to 2 teams, Nigeria and Mali, who will compete in a back-and-forth match to determine the top two positions.
All matches will take place at the Lomé municipal stadium, and entry is free for the first round of matches.
Here is the revised schedule for the President Cup (times in GMT):
Matches | Dates | Times
Togo vs. Benin | 04/19/14 | 3:30 p.m. Nigeria vs. Mali | 04/21/14 | 3:00 p.m. Benin vs. Ivory Coast | 04/21/14 | 5:30 p.m. Mali vs. Nigeria | 04/23/14 | 3:00 p.m. Togo vs. Ivory Coast | 04/23/14 | 5:30 p.m.
Semi-finals (04/25/14) (1) 3:00 p.m.: 1st Group B vs. 2nd Group A (2) 6:00 p.m.: 1st Group A vs. 2nd Group B
Classification match (04/27/14) 2:30 p.m.: Loser of semi-final 1 vs. Loser of semi-final 2
Final (04/27/14) 5:30 p.m.: Winner of semi-final 1 vs. Winner of semi-final 2
Tags: absence, calendar, defection, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, President Cup 2014, program, Togo, UFOA_B
