Cash trapped national U20 team, the Flying Eagles have left the shore of Nigeria today ahead of the Africa Youth Championship billed to kick off in Nigeria Republic on February 2nd, 2019.
The Paul Aigbogun tutored side were originally scheduled to travel on Tuesday but could not fly due to lack of fund as informed by source at Glass House
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 has been drawn along with the hosts Niger, South Africa and Burundi while Ghana, Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso will luck horns it out in Group B
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will lunch 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 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 is billed to commence from 2nd to 17th February, 2019 while the semi-finalists will represent Africa at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland in 2019.
