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The Nigeria U-20 men’s team, Flying Eagles, are putting finishing touches to their preparation for their participation in the 2024 WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship scheduled to commence on Thursday (today) in Lome, Togo.
Detailing the camp update following their arrival at the Togolese capital city on Tuesday, the team’s media officer, Sharif Abdallah, revealed that the team had its first training session on Wednesday morning at the Omnisport Mini Stadium in Lome, which lasted for 1 hour 30 minutes, with all 20 players participating, and will have a second exercise at the same venue on Thursday before taking on Burkina Faso for their opening game on Friday.
“No injury concern as all the players have been declared fit by the medical team. The team will embark on one more training session on Thursday morning,” Abdallah said cheerfully during an interview with PUNCH Sports Extra correspondent on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Coach Aliyu Zubair on Tuesday released a list of 20 players to fly Nigeria’s flag at the championship, which serves as a qualifying tournament for next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations.
The contingent of 20 players and 12 officials arrived in Lome on Tuesday afternoon, following an intensive, one-week final camping programme at the high-grade Remo Stars Training Complex in Ikenne, Ogun State.
The proprietor of the institute and president of Nigeria Premier Football League club Remo Stars, Hon. Kunle Soname, has promised the Flying Eagles the sum of N5 million if the Cup holders successfully defend their title in Togo and return the trophy home. He also gave the team the sum of N1 million on departure from the institute on Monday.
The Flying Eagles won the last edition of the competition staged in Niamey, the capital of Niger Republic. They will take on their counterparts from Burkina Faso on Friday, in their first match of the competition, and will also play Cote d’Ivoire in a three-team Group B, with the two best teams to reach the semi finals.
Group A has hosts Togo, Ghana, Niger Republic, and Benin Republic.
FLYING EAGLES SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Ifeanyi Harcourt (Sporting Lagos); Nathaniel Nwosu (Nasarawa United)
Defenders: Adamu Maigari (El-Kanemi Warriors); Daniel Bameyi (Bayelsa United); Kenneth Igboke (Enugu Rangers); Haruna Aliyu (Doma United); Musa Ademu (Wireless FC); Olalekan Alabi (El-Kanemi Warriors).
Midfielders: Raphael Oyebanjo (Shuffle Select FC); Muhammad Ibrahim (Niger Tornadoes); Oluwaseyi Akinfenwa (Real Sapphire FC); Ibrahim Abdullahi (Bayelsa United); Isaac Ayuma (NK Istra, Croatia); Nasiru Salihu (El-Kanemi Warriors).
Forwards: Divine Oliseh (Forster FC); Charles Agada (Mavlon FC); Kparobo Arierhi (Beyond Limits FC); Olalekan Amole (Real Sapphire FC); Olalekan Ibrahim (Central Academy); Clinton Jephta (Enyimba FC).
