Nigeria’s U20 national team, the Flying Eagles, have unveiled a 30-man squad as they step up preparations for the 2024 Africa U20 Cup of Nations (AFCON), which kicks off in April.
Head coach Aliyu Zubairu has selected a mix of home-based talents for a two-match friendly tour against Egypt’s U20 team later this month. Some of the notable names in the squad include Sporting Lagos goalkeeper Ifeanyi Harcourt, Bayelsa United defender Daniel Bameyi, El-Kanemi Warriors midfielder Alabi Sulaiman Jojo, and Enyimba forward Clinton Japhet.
The seven-time African champions will take on Egypt in back-to-back friendly matches scheduled for February 25 and 27 in Cairo. These matches will serve as key preparatory fixtures ahead of the continental tournament in Côte d’Ivoire, where Nigeria will aim to secure an eighth U20 AFCON title.
The competition, set to run from April 26 to May 18, will also serve as a qualifying event for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile later this year, with the top four teams booking their place at the global tournament.
The Flying Eagles, one of the most successful teams in African youth football, have previously won the U20 AFCON title in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, and 2015. They secured their spot in this year’s edition after triumphing in the WAFU-B U20 Championship in Lomé, Togo, last October, where they defeated Ghana’s Black Satellites 3-1 in the final.
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At the last FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina, the team came close to reaching the semi-finals but suffered a heartbreaking extra-time defeat to South Korea in the quarterfinals.
The full squad list includes:
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).
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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).
Source: The Athletic NG
