Nigeria Sports Arena

Former Super Eagles utility player Garba Lawal has told nigeriasportsarena.com that Flying Eagles gifted winger Sucess Makanjuola deserves to be in the starting line up in against Ukraine The Nigerian team will face Ukraine in the final game of Group D of the ongoing FIFA U20 tournament taking place in Poland. It is a must win game for Paul Aigbogun and the lads but Garba believes that Makanjuola has what it takes to be in the starting line up. "Considering what the regular starter has offered,  I watched closely in the two matches to know he has something different as a natural left footed player. The former FC Roda player concluded by saying, "Don't forget he is the only left footed player  among all the wingers in the team so, he can use that to help the team now that they need to win their last game to qualify."

Water FC exciting winger, Success Makanjuola has been voted as Man of Match against Red Bull Salzburg after the Nigerian U20 played out a 1-1 draw in an international friendly  decided in Germany. The Flying Eagles came from behind to record the 1-1 draw courtesy of an equalizer from Tijani Mohammed after a spirited performance from the Nigerian team. Makanjuola who was a thorn in the flesh for Salzburg distinguished himself with a brilliant display and was rewarded with the MOTM award after test game. Paul Aigbogun and his charges will round off their preparation for the FIFA U20 World Cup with a final test game on Friday against German Bundesliga side Red Bull Leipzig before they jet out of Germany to Poland.

Brookhouse lanky striker Chinonso Emeka and Water FC talented left-winger Success Makanjuola are available for selection for the international friendly between World Cup bound Flying Eagles and Red Bull Salzburg II. Emeka and Success made Paul Aigbogun's final 21-man list for the FIFA Under 20 World Cup coming up in Poland later this month after their impressive displays in Germany. The test game which is expected to kick off by 4:00pm Nigerian time will   enable Aigbogun to finalize his preparation ahead of the big event in Poland. The Nigerian U20 team are expected to arrive the host country, Poland this weekend ahead of their first group match against Qatar.

Norwegian club, IK Start has granted the request of Nigeria Football Federation to release former Super Eagles B star Afeez Olalekan Aremu to feature for the U20 boys, Flying Eagles in Saturday’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations qualifier against Mauritania in Lagos. The defensive midfielder turned up at the Flying Eagles’ Pearlwort Hotel camp in Ikeja and decided to train with the squad. The technical crew was impressed with his game and being eligible, he was asked if he could feature on Saturday. But he said his Norwegian club would have to grant permission for him to play as he is on holiday in Nigeria. Team Administrator Aliyu Lawal Ibrahim immediately commenced the process and within the hour, the Kristiansand –based Club granted the permission with a caveat that the player must fly back to Norway on Sunday, 22nd July. Aremu played for the Eagles B in the qualifiers for the 2018 African Nations Championship and at the WAFU Cup of Nations in Ghana in September 2017, but tr...

Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba has said he hopes for a convincing win over hosts Senegal in Sunday’s opening match at the 2015 AYC in Dakar. “We want to win convincingly because in any tournament your opening match is very crucial. It will boost your confidence,” said Manu. “With the U17s (2013 CAF U17 Championship), we started very well by beating Ghana 6-1 before we went all the way to the final. “We also trounced Mexico 5-1 in our opening match at the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup and then went on to win the tournament. “This is how we wish to start the competition in Senegal, even though we respect and do not underrate our opponents, who will be playing at home in front of their fans.” The coach added: “We want to win all our matches and by implication it means we want to be champions in Senegal and go to the World Cup in New Zealand as African champions.” The Flying Eagles will be one of the youngest squads at this year’s...

Nigeria’s U-20 Boys’ Team, Flying Eagles, arrived in Dakar, capital of Senegal in the early hours of Thursday for the 19th African Youth Championship, after flying through Banjul, The Gambia. A contingent of 21 players and 10 officials touched down at the Dakar International Airport at 3am Senegal time and was immediately ferried to the Alafifa Hotel. The team will move into Hotel Ngor Diarama, the official accommodation, on Friday. The six-time champions lock horns with hosts Senegal in the opening match of the tournament at the Stade Leopold Senghor, Dakar on Sunday evening. Nigeria will also play Congo-Brazzaville and Cote d’Ivoire in Group A. Ghana, Mali, South Africa and Zambia are in Group B, with their matches to hold at the Stade Caroline Faye in M’Bour, 50 kilometres outside Dakar.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) have tasked the Flying Eagles to win the 2015 AYC in Senegal.   NFF deputy secretary general Emmanuel Ikpeme told the Senegal-bound Flying Eagles at their Serob Legacy Hotel in Wuye, Abuja, Wednesday that the entire country is looking up to them to win the continent’s U20 championship in Senegal. “On behalf of the president of the NFF, I wish to congratulate the players who made the final squad to the AYC in Senegal,” began Ikpeme in a very passionate address to the team. “The President is particularly delighted that the bulk of the squad to Senegal are from the team who won the U17 World Cup two years ago. “The target to the team therefore is for the team to win the AYC and confirm that winning the U17 World Cup was not a fluke. He added: “Your first match will be against the hosts country Senegal and do not expect it to be an easy match but we believe you are up to the task going by what you showed in...

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will depart for the African Youth Championship in Senegal on Wednesday, officials have announced.   The Flying Eagles secretary Aliyu Ibrahim Awal disclosed that the team will fly out of Abuja via Lagos and Banjul, Gambia, to Dakar. “We will leave Abuja Wednesday afternoon on our way to Dakar,” said the top team official. The team will begin their quest for the 2015 AYC on Sunday against hosts Senegal. Kick-off time is 5.30 pm Nigerian time at the Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor in Dakar. They will also take on Congo March 11 and Cote d’Ivoire March 14. The final group game against the Ivorians will be played at the Stade Caroline Faye in M’bour, which is a short bus ride from Dakar and the base for Group B. The four semi-finalists at this tournament will represent Africa at the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup to be staged in New Zealand from May.   Flying Eagles final AYC squad: Goalkeepers: Joshua Enaholo, Sunday Alampasu...

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have to submit a final 21-man squad for the 2015 AYC to CAF by midnight of Thursday, officials have disclosed. The Nigeria U20 currently have a 28-man provisional squad that includes Belgium-based defender Wilfred Ndidi and Dolphins new signing Christian Pyagbara. Pyagbara joined the Flying Eagles training camp in Abuja on their return from two warm-up matches in Ghana, while the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are waiting on Belgian club Genk over the release of Ndidi for the AYC. In the meantime, the results of the scans on Musa Yahaya and Zaharadeen Bello are expected to be made known in the new week. Yahaya suffered a knee injury during the Flying Eagles second test match against Ghana in Tema, while Bello is nursing a swollen calf. The Nigeria U20s are due to fly out for a training tour ahead of the AYC, which kicks off March 8 in Dakar, Senegal.

The Flying Eagles are sweating on the fitness of star forward Musa Yahaya, who is nursing a knee injury he suffered in a warm-up match in Ghana. The Tottenham Hotspur youth star is expected to undergo a scan to determine the extent of the injury he received when he was dangerously tackled in the Flying Eagles second friendly against Ghana on Wednesday. The injury forced him out of the match in the 39th minute. U17 world champion Yahaya, who scored in the Flying Eagles first match against the Black Satellites, did not join the rest of the squad at the gym at the FIFA Goal Project in Abuja Friday morning. The other injury worry for the Nigeria U20 team is central defender Zaharadeen Bello. Bello has been nursing a calf injury and as a result he did not feature in the second friendly against Ghana in Tema, which the Flying Eagles won 2-0. “We will review their cases and see what can be done promptly,” disclosed Flying Eagles doctor Ozi Salami.

Former Nigeria skipper Joseph Yobo has urged the Flying Eagles to work harder so they could be bigger stars than he and his contemporaries were. Yobo met up with the Nigeria U20s at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos on their way to Ghana for two test matches against their Ghanaian counterparts. “You can be bigger stars than we were,” Yobo told the players. “I left this country for Europe when I was just 17 and before you know it, I was my family’s bread winner. You can also do same and even more, but you must be willing to work hard and make the necessary sacrifices. “You have some great coaches and you only have to obey their instructions to make it in this game.” Yobo, who has won a record 101 full international caps for Nigeria, also featured at the 1999 FIFA U20 World Cup, which Nigeria hosted. Former Nigerian sports minister Bolaji Abdullahi also encountered the team at the airport and restated his belief that the Flying Eagles are the...

The Nigeria Under 20, have won the 2015 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Pre-season tournament tagged Super 4 after six goal thriller against the Under 23 national team in the last match of the round robin football event in Abuja. They held the Dream Team VI to a three all draw yesterday in an explosive encounter as Chidera Eze came in as a super substitute to salvage a point for his teammate after scoring the last goal of the day. The Flying Eagles recorded an incontestable 13 points from five matches. Nigeria Under 23 finished second with nine points, Kano Pillars and Enyimba of Aba  gathered seven points each and claimed the third and fourth spots. Warri Wolves muscled out six  points while Dolphins rocks botom of the log with no point. Taiwo Awoniyi was voted the best player of the tournament, he scored two goals and made a couple of assists.

A 10-man Flying Eagles defeated Enyimba 2-0 in a Super 4 match on Saturday in Abuja, but coach Manu Garba insisted his team have to improve on their finishing after they threw away many chances. The Nigeria U20 team took the lead through a penalty converted by captain Musa Muhammed in the 62nd minute after Ifeanyi Anaemena fouled rampaging Taiwo Awoniyi inside the box.   Substitute Musa Yahaya scored the second goal to seal the victory for the Flying Eagles in the 90th minute.   However, the Flying Eagles were reduced to 10 men in the 57th minute after Prince Aggreh was sent off after a second booking.   Sweden-based striker Taiwo Awoniyi could long have killed this game for the Flying Eagles but he missed several chances.   "The game was a good test for my team because we played against a very experienced side in Enyimba," declared Manu Garba after the match. "I have seen some of the lapses especially in goal scoring. We missed a lot of scoring chances an...

Skipper Musa Muhammed will lead the Flying Eagles against Enyimba in today’s Super 4 opening day clash at the Abuja National Stadium. Kick-off time is 3pm and the match will be televised live on television. Coach Manu Garba has lined up a strong team against the Nigeria league runners-up last season. Mountain of Fire FC of Lagos goalkeeper Joshua Enaholo will start behind a defence of skipper Muhammed, Mustapha Abdullahi, Prince Izu Omego and Zaharadeen Bello. The midfield has Ifeanyi Ifeanyi, Akinjide Idowu, Wasiu Jimoh and Abdullahi Alfa, while the attack will be Taiwo Awoniyi and Prince Aggrey from Sunshine Stars. Overseas professionals Musa Yahaya, Chidera Eze as well as Ifeanyi Matthew, who only rejoined the squad after trials in Europe, will thus start from the bench.   Flying Eagles starting XI vs Enyimba Joshua Enaholo – Musa Muhammed (Captain), Mustapha Abdullahi, Prince Izu Omego, Zaharadeen Bello – Ifeanyi Ifeanyi,Akinjide Idowu, Abdullahi Alfa...

Nigeria U20 team, the Flying Eagles, have expressed confidence they will give a good account of themselves at the expanded Super 4 tournament, which kicks off on Saturday at the Abuja National Stadium. The Flying Eagles and the Nigeria U23 team have been handed special invitations to feature in the pre-season competition, which has drawn league champions Kano Pillars, Enyimba, Warri Wolves and Dolphins. The Nigeria U20, who arrived Abuja on Thursday from their training base in Kaduna, will play their first match on Saturday at the Abuja National Stadium against league runners-up Enyimba. Kick-off is 3pm. On Monday, they will take on Pillars, before they battle Warri Wolves on Wednesday and Dolphins on Friday. Their final match in this round-robin competition will be Sunday, February 1, against Dream Team. Match times are 1pm, 3pm and 5pm. Flying Eagles assistant coach Nduka Ugbade said he is confident the team will do well in the Super 4. “We have worked hard in Kaduna an...

The Flying Eagles stepped up their build-up for this weekend’s Super 4 in Abuja with a confidence-boosting 6-0 win over NDC Warriors at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna on Tuesday. Sunshine Stars striker Prince Aggrey opened scoring for the Nigeria U20s after 13 minutes and 10 minutes later skipper Taiwo Awoniyi won a penalty, which was put away by Ifeanyi Ifeanyi. Wasiu Jimoh then saw his goal-bound effort crash against the post on 33 minutes. The Flying Eagles extended their lead in the 68th minute when Usman Hassan headed home off a free kick delivered by Jimoh. A minute later, Prince Aggrey coolly grabbed his brace as he was put through by Abdullahi Alfa. Ifeanyi Ifeanyi then scored again from the penalty spot after substitute Obinna Nwobodo was brought down inside the box on his way to goal. Substitute Gabriel completed the rout in stoppage time.   Flying Eagles starting XI: Joshua Enaholo – Zaharadeen Bello, Mustapha Abdullahi, Akinjide Idowu, Abdullahi...

Musa Yahaya and Chidera Eze are set to join up with the rest of the Flying Eagles squad in training camp in Kaduna, just as several other players have confirmed their own arrivals. According to Flying Eagles secretary Aliyu Auwal Ibrahim, Musa Yahaya from Tottenham Hotspur youth academy and Chidera Eze of FC Porto have confirmed they will join the Nigeria U20 team on Sunday. Defender Wilfred Ndidi, who last week signed a professional deal with Belgian club Genk, as well as skipper Musa Muhammed and Ifeanyi Matthew, who are away in Europe, have informed the team they will join up not later than Tuesday. “We will soon have a full house in camp,” disclosed Aliyu Auwal. “Alhassan Ibrahim ‘Muazam’ has already rejoined the team, so too Sulaiman Abdullahi. Both players have been away in Europe on trials. “And Kingsley Sokari has also promised to join up this week after he featured for the Eagles in friendly matches in the United Arab Emirates.” ...

Musa Yahaya and Chidera Eze are set to join up with the rest of the Flying Eagles squad in training camp in Kaduna, just as several other players have confirmed their own arrivals. According to Flying Eagles secretary Aliyu Auwal Ibrahim, Musa Yahaya from Tottenham Hotspur youth academy and Chidera Eze of FC Porto have confirmed they will join the Nigeria U20 team on Sunday. Defender Wilfred Ndidi, who last week signed a professional deal with Belgian club Genk, as well as skipper Musa Muhammed and Ifeanyi Matthew, who are away in Europe, have informed the team they will join up not later than Tuesday. “We will soon have a full house in camp,” disclosed Aliyu Auwal. “Alhassan Ibrahim ‘Muazam’ has already rejoined the team, so too Sulaiman Abdullahi. Both players have been away in Europe on trials. “And Kingsley Sokari has also promised to join up this week after he featured for the Eagles in friendly matches in the United Arab Emirates.” ...

The Flying Eagles will take on Nigeria National League (NNL) side Spotlight of Katsina in another test game on Wednesday. The match will be played at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna and it will kick-off by 11am. Spotlight, who have defender Mustapha Abdullahi with the Nigeria U20 side, are gearing up for promotion to the Nigeria top flight in the forthcoming season. The Katsina club, who placed 10th on the Nigeria National League Division A table, have made several top signings to match their ambitions. Spotlight have been on a pre-season training tour of Kaduna and have so far won three and drawn three of their matches. Their own loss thus far was to Jamba Aacdemy, who beat them 2-1. The Flying Eagles, who are getting set for the 2015 African Youth Championship in Senegal in March, are also likely to battle league champions Kano Pillars by the weekend also in Kaduna. The Nigeria U20s are also slated for an expanded Super 4 tournament in Abuja, which will begin on Thursday, J...

Tottenham Hotspur youth team forward Musa Yahaya and Chidera Eze, who features for the youth team of FC Porto, have confirmed their arrival dates to the training camp of the Nigeria U20 team, the Flying Eagles. According to Flying Eagles team secretary Auwal Aliyu Ibrahim, Musa has said he will join the team by January 16 after he would have finished playing in an invitational tournament in Malaysia involving Tottenham youth team. Chidera Eze, on the other hand, said he will join the team’s Kaduna training camp on January 15. Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba has given a January 15 deadline for all invited foreign-based professionals to join the squad. Aliyu Ibrahim further disclosed he expects to get confirmation for the arrival of Manchester City pair of Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidiebere Nwakali as well as Slovakia-based Moses Simon and Kingsley Madu later this week. The Nigeria U20s are slated to feature in an expanded Super 4 tournament that will include Nigeria U23 team, lea...