Flying Eagles Depart For Niger Republic For U20 African Nations Cup

AYC: at last, Flying Eagles depart for Niger

By Amaechi Agbo

The financially trapped Under 20 national team, the Flying Eagles have finally left Nigeria today (Thursday) ahead of the Africa Youth Championship scheduled to start on Saturday, February 2 in Niger Republic, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The team originally scheduled to travel Tuesday could not leave due to what sources in the Glass House called "lack of money"

A source was quoted as saying “the team will travel tomorrow morning (today). You see things are not working well here in the glass house. Until now the Flying Eagles are still here in Abuja.

“They told the coaches and the players that they are travelling on Tuesday but today (yesterday) is Wednesday they are still around. NFF is not helping matters. They know this team has competition few days from now yet they cannot make arraignment in time.

“We pray the team leave tomorrow (today) like what they are saying there is not enough money. So let them short some days out of the accommodation money and other things,” the source was quoted.

Nigeria is drawn in Group A of the AYC along hosts Niger, South Africa and Burundi while Ghana, Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso will slug it out in Group B

Nigeria's Flying Eagles will kick start their campaign on Saturday when they take on Burundi in their opening match by 7:30pm and three days later they will tackle South Africa on 5th by 4:30pm and round off their preliminary group outing with a match against the hosts nation, Niger Republic on February 8th by 4:30pm.

The Paul Aigbogun-led lads are making their 18th appearance at the AYC which they have won seven times in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011 and 2015.

The final tournament will commence from 2-17 February, 2019 while the semi-finalists will represent Africa at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland in 2019.