Flying Eagles head Coach Aliyu Zubairu has called former Golden Eaglets captain, Cletus Simon, Enyimba winger, Clinton Jephta, and 28 others to camp as Nigeria’s U20 boys, prepare for a two-match tour of Egypt later this month.
Clinton Jephta starred, scoring four goals as Nigeria won the WAFU B U20 championship to retain the title and qualify for the CAF U20 AFCON.
According to the NFF, the seven-time African champions will clash with their Egyptian counterparts in Cairo, in friendly matches scheduled for February 25th and 27th.
Furthermore, this year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations will be held in Cote d’Ivoire from 26 April to 18 May. The four top-placed finishers will qualify to represent the continent at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile from 27 September to 19 October.
Meanwhile, 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. The Aliyu Zubairu-led team 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 FOR CAMPING IN ABUJA AHEAD 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 Adamu (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 Adelani (Ikorodu City); Abdulrahman Ishaq (Sport Supply Academy); Ezekiel Anthony (Aspire Academy); Sodiq Olalekan Adewunmi (Jaguar Sports FC)
