By NICHOLAS OBISIKE

Some Football fans in Aba have urged the Nigeria under 20 national team, the Flying Eagles to defend the title they won at the 2024 WAFU B U- 20 Championship in Lome, Togo in 2024.

Some of the football fans who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba on Wednesday urged the team not to underrate any team in the tournament.

NAN reports that the Flying Eagles won the 2024 edition in Lome, Togo with a 2-1 victory over Ghana in the final.

Tony Ademodi, a sports presenter with Magic FM, Aba advised the players not to take the tournament for granted as teams keep improving yearly.

“Though, there are no World Cup ticket at stake this time but we need to upgrade our trophy cabinet to six at the under 20 level,” he said.

He expressed confidence on Coach, Abdul Maikaba to deliver at the tournament but advised him to play the best legs throughout the competition.

Victor Adindu, on his part, wants the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to expose the players to high profile matches to give the coach a glimpse of what to expect at the tournament.

“We are lucky to have gotten away with victory against Ghana in the last edition but this time around, we need to ensure that our players are fit to play 120 minutes,” Adindu advised.

Kenneth Ngele, a trader said that Nigeria male teams need to start doing well at the World and Continental competitions.

He advised the football authority to ensure that the national teams utilises football windows, even when there is no competition around the corner.

Ndudim Isaac called on the coach to go for the best legs in the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) and expose them to high profile friendlies before the tournament.

NAN reports that the Flying Eagles will play Ghana, Togo and Burkina Faso in Group B for a ticket to the next year’s U-20 African Cup of Nation scheduled for Ghana.

The continental championship will feature 12 teams, with the four semi-finalists qualifying for the FIFA U20 World Cup.

Nigeria head into the tournament with one of the strongest records in the competition’s history

The Flying Eagles reached the final of the inaugural edition in 2018, won their first WAFU B title in 2022 and successfully defended it in 2024. (NAN)

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