NIGERIA'S U-20 Coach,  John Obuh says rather than incapacitating players, fasting as a factor energised his team spiritually when they routed their Tanzanian counterparts 2-0 last weekend in Ilorin, Kwara State during an Africa Youth Championship qualifier.

Obuh  revealed that nine of the players that dressed for the match  observed the Ramadan fast and observed that the players carried out the game plans to the letter.

''The boys who are moslems in the squad all observed the fast, afterall it was all about spiritual strength and by the end of the day you saw the result yourself,'' he noted.

As such, Obuh remarked that it could be counter-productive when coaches advised against players' observing their fasting obligations.

On his next opponent, the South Africans, who beat his boys earlier in an international invitational in South Africa earlier in the year, Obuh assured.

''We know  them, we know them,''  he quipped.

However speaking seperately the Director of Technical matters in the Nigeria Football Federation, (NFF), Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme allayed fears that the South Africans can do damage to Flying Eagles qualification aspiration.

''We are already working on getting the tapes and other  technical details about our opponents, we don't have any fear there, we are working ahead,'' he added.