Tag: AYC

Man City Stops Iheanacho, Nwakali From Nigeria’s AYC Squad

IheanachoThe duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidiebere Nwakali might not be in the Flying Eagles squad for the 2015 African Youth Championship holding in Senegal in March.

The English Premier League champions, Manchester City made this known on Tuesday.

The Scouting and Recruitment Operations Manager at Manchester City FC, Fergal Harkin, in a mail to the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, stated that the club would not be willing to release the players for different reasons.

Harkin stated that Iheanacho was injured while a loan move was being processed for Nwakali.

Part of the mail read, “With regards Kelechi Iheanacho, he is currently injured. We believe he will be fit around the middle of March but can keep in contract regarding his recovery.

“For Chidiebere Nwakali, we are currently in the process of agreeing his loan deal to Europe and he will not be available to meet up with the national team until further notice.

“At this moment in time, we feel it is best for his development that he cements his place in the club side.”

Kelechi Iheanacho won the Golden Ball at the 2013 U-17 World Cup and was one of the revelations of Manchester City’s summer pre-season after impressing and scoring against AC Milan.

The attacking midfielder has already been tipped as a future Super Eagles star despite his young age.

All overseas based players invited for the AYC tournament had been given till Thursday, January 15 to report at the U20s training camp in Kaduna.

Aminu Picked For AYC Best XI

The Confederation of African Football (CAF)  have picked Flying Eagles striker Umar Aminu who was a top scorer at the just concluded 2013 African Youth Championship for the  AYC best XI after they admitted a mistake for overlooking the tournament top scorer.

CAF Technical Director; Abdel Moniem Hussein said the tournament XI was picked before the final round of matches but with Aminu finishing as top scorer, he has to be included in the team.

The Wikki Tourists striker ended the tournament with four goals to succeed compatriot Uche Nwofor, who was the goal king at the 2011 edition of the tournament in South Africa.

Following his exploits in Algeria, the 18 year old striker has attracted overseas interest with the most recent one from Club Africain of Tunisia as well as a host of Turkish clubs.

 

John Obuh Given A Second Chance By NFF

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) says it would not take any hasty decision on the fate of flying eagles chief coach, John Obuh after the team failed to defend the African Youth Championship title in Algeria.

NFF’s spokesman Demola Olajire said the former Sharks of Port Harcourt handler would be giving another chance to tinker the team ahead of the FIFA U-20 world cup in turkey.

Olajire said the Flying Eagles which finished in third position at the biennial youth showpiece will be overhauled before the world cup in June.

Reports say standard liege striker Imoh Ezekiel will be invited to beef up the team’s attack.  The Flying Eagles are expected to participate at the Toulon football tournament at the end of May.

3rd Place Match Is A Must Win For Flying Eagles– John Obuh

Putting behind them the unexpected defeat by the Junior Pharaohs of Egypt, the coach of Nigeria’s U-20 team John Obuh has promised that he will put everything into machination in the third place match against Mali.

Obuh said the Flying Eagles cannot afford to concede defeat in to straight games in a tournament especially today’s match which will be deciding who takes home the Bronze medal on the African Youth Championship.

The Flying Eagles will be clashing with their first rival and the first team in the tournament to smear their title defence in the AYC, Mali for the third place match as pundits keep hoping that today’s game between the two teams will be in a different form with a possibility of the Flying Eagles to run away with a victory which is what coach Obuh is gunning for.

Obuh said he sees today’s clash with Mali as another opportunity for the players to show what they are made of and prove to the Malians that the initial clash was an error.

AYC 2013 Qualifiers: Flying Eagles jet out to Tanzania

The delegation of Flying Eagles flew out of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja aboard a RwandAir airline flight and the delegation was led by Chris Green who is the Chairman of the NFF Technical Sub-Committee and this was deemed necessary in order to keep the players and the crews of the National Team in check in terms of discipline and keep performance of their duties at the optimum.

Meanwhile, the itinerary of the squad was made known as they leave Nigeria to touch down at Tanzania and by tomorrow (Tuesday July 24, 2012) the Flying Eagles shall lock horns with the Young Amavubi of Rwanda in Kigali in an international friendly before heading to the game proper in Dar Es Salam on Thursday for Sunday’s 2013 African Youth Championship qualifier against the Junior Taifa Stars.

The NFF is determined to inculcate into the teams the important virtues of the development and re-building processes, which is why the ejection of Assistant Coach Abimbola Samuel and Goalkeeper Trainer Suleiman Shuaibu from the squad was something the local football body had to do as they were seen as a cog in the wheel of progress.

18 players were handpicked by the head Coach John Sam Obuh plus his assistants and backroom staff and he also included new Goalkeeper Trainer Aloysius Agu.

Agu, a former Captain of the Super Eagles, replaces Suleiman Shuaibu.

The U-20 Women’s Team, Falconets departed from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja today for Accra, Ghana where the team will play two friendly matches on Tuesday and Thursday this week, against the U-20 Women’s Team of that country, known as Black Princesses. The team traveled aboard an Arik Air flight.

Coach Obuh names AYC 2013 squad

The 20-man AYC squad that will proceed to Tanzania on Sunday the 29th of this month for the qualifiers of the 2013 African Youth Championship has been named by the head coach of Nigeria’s U-20 squad John Sam Obuh.

The list of the squad is as follows:

Strikers: Cedric Omoigui, Sikiru Alimi, Harrison Egbune, Yahaya Adamu, Alhaji Gero, Aminu Umar.

Goalkeepers: Jonah Usman, Samuel Okani

Midfielders: Moses Orkuma, Kingsley Patrick, Agboyi Ovbokha,Shehu Abdullahi,Chidi Osuchukwu, Uche Agbo.

Defenders: Boniface Abonima, Aliyu Mohammed,Ikechukwu Okorie , Tope Aluko, Chizoba Amaefule, Abubakar Hassan

The surprise inclusion in the final squad is Real Mallorca youth team striker Cedric Omoigui.

And prior to the much awaited qualification game against Tanzania the Flying Eagles will lock horn with the Rwanda U-20 side in a warm up match ahead of a place in the final tournament which will be hosted Algeria starting March 2013 if everything goes well for our own dear Flying Eagles.