By Ghazali Ibrahim
In a historic feat for Nigerian football, Azeez Mustapha, a youth coach has led his team, GhettoTigers FC, to clinch the first-ever Gothia Cup B16 championship.
The feat marks a groundbreaking moment in the history of the prestigious global tournament.
The coach, described the experience as one of the most defining moments of his life.
“Winning the World Youth Cup in Gothenburg stands up there as one of the most important moments of my life. I really cannot put into words the feeling right now. It’s undefinable,” he said in an interview exclusively with BlackBox Nigeria.
The Nigerian side emerged victorious after an intense week-long tournament, competing in the Boys-16 (B16) category — a division that featured 193 teams from 29 countries.
The Gothia Cup, started since 1975 is regarded as the largest youth football tournament in the world, hosted 1,939 teams across multiple categories, with 4,905 matches played in just seven days.
Recalling last year’s disappointment, where the team crashed out in the round of 16 via penalties, the coach said this year’s triumph felt even sweeter.
“It’s great to be the first Nigerian team to win the B16 category since its inception in 1975,” he added.
The Nigerian team played nine matches, scoring 31 goals and conceding just 4, all within an intense seven-day period. At one point, the team had to play five matches in just two days.
Strategic planning, squad rotation, and tactical discipline were key to their success.
“We rotated players and studied how the Europeans like to play to overcome their superior aerial dominance,” the coach explained. “We maintained a conservative approach.”
In what has now been confirmed by tournament officials, no African team had ever reached the B16 finals prior to this edition, making Nigeria’s victory not only a national triumph but also a continental milestone.
“We are the first African team to ever play in the B16 finals of the Gothia Cup and of course, Africa’s first-ever champions in the category,” he proudly stated.
The Nigerian team’s accomplishment is being celebrated widely as a symbol of African resilience and tactical evolution in global youth football, and is expected to inspire more participation and ambition across the continent in future editions of the Gothia Cup.
