Sports
2013 AYC: 39 Players For Flying Eagles Camp
Chief Coach of the U-20 national team, the Flying Eagles, John Obuh, has invited nine foreign-based professional players to camp, in preparation for the 2013 African Youth Championship (AYC).
A statement signed by the team’s Spokesperson, Samm Audu, in Abuja said that the invited players resume camp on or before last Sunday.
The 2013 AYC, billed for Algeria, will hold from March 16 to March 30, with eight participating teams.
The invited players include: Mikel Agu (FC Porto, Portugal), Bright Osagie (Red Bull, Salzburg, Austria), Salau Ibrahim Atta (Westerlo, Belgium) and Christian Chidere Okafor (LFK Numberg, Germany).
Others are: Marvel Ekpiteta (Stevenage, England), Femi Ajayi (Charlton Athletic),
Oliha Aigbe (Esperance Zarziz, Tunisia), Kenneth Ngwoke (Hamitkay, Cyprus). and Jesse Sekidika (Lancaster Higher School, England).
The team started preparations for the championship when it opened camping in Abuja on January 6 with 20 invited players.
The statement noted that Obuh also invited 19 other players to bring the number of players in camp to 39.
It added that 10 players have been dropped from the 39, while six others from the domestic league have been given a chance to prove themselves in the team.
This brings the number of players in camp to 44, struggling for shirts at the championship.
The statement added that as part of its build-up, the team is expected to have a re-match today in Enugu.
The team will take on the Super 4 and Federation Cup winners, Heartland FC of Owerri, on February 1 and two days later, take on the newly-promoted Bayelsa United FC.
The team has been drawn in Group B with Mali, Congo DR and Gabon in the championship.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.