Nigeria’s Under 20 National Team Flying Eagles Head Coach, Aliyu Zubairu has called to camp 30 players to prepare for a two-match tour of Egypt later this month.
Team Administrator, Aliyu Lawal Ibrahim disclosed that the seven-time African champions will clash with their Egyptian counterparts in Cairo, capital of Egypt in friendly matches that have been scheduled for 25th and 27th February.
This year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations would be staged in Cote d’Ivoire, 26th April – 18th May, with the four top-placed finishers qualifying to represent the continent at the FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Chile, 27th September – 19th October.
The Flying Eagles, champions of Africa in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011 and 2015, won the WAFU-B U20 Championship held in Lome, Togo in October last year to be eligible for the finals in Cote d’Ivoire. They defeated Ghana’s Black Satellites 3-1 in the final match.
The two-time FIFA World Cup runners-up, in 1989 and 2005, came within breathing distance of the semi-finals at the FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Argentina, before losing narrowly to Korea Republic after extra time.
FLYING EAGLES PLAYERS LIST FOR EGYPT FRIENDLIES:
Goalkeepers: Ifeanyi Harcourt (Sporting Lagos); Light Emerenonye (Diamond Academy); Abubakar Rufai (Mavlon FC)
Defenders: Adamu Maigari (El-Kanemi Warriors); Daniel Bameyi (Bayelsa United); Kenneth Igbokwe (Enugu Rangers); Haruna Aliyu (Wikki Tourists); Musa Ademu (Wireless FC); Shamsudeen Muhammad (Mavlon FC); Ibrahim Abdullahi; Shamsudeen Ishaq (Grassrunner FC); Steven Jolomi (Mavlon FC)
Midfielders: Raphael Oyebanji (Shuffle Select FC); Mohammed Ibrahim (Niger Tornadoes); Kizito Opara (Campus Academy); Alabi Sulaiman Jojo (El-Kanemi Warriors); Sulaiman Abubakar (Diamond Academy); Shafiu Adamu (Wikki Tourists); Cletus Simon (Mavlon FC)
Forwards: Bidemi Amole (Real Sapphire Academy); Clinton Japhet (Enyimba FC); Matthew Chukwusa (Morack Academy); Nasiru Salihu (El-Kanemi Warriors); Divine Olisha (Fostar Academy); Jerry Salami (Aspire Academy); Oluwaseyi Akinfenwa (Real Sapphire Academy); Shola Adelami (Ikorodu City); Abdulrahaman Ishaq (Sport Supply Academy); Ezekiel Anthony (Aspire Academy); Sodiq Olalekan Adewunmi (Jaguar Sports FC)