Flying Eagles Final Squad Named As Reims, Hoffenheim Withhold Key Players

Flying Eagles Final Squad Named As Reims, Hoffenheim Withhold Key Players

By Admin 

Preparations for Nigeria’s Flying Eagles ahead of the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup have been dealt a blow, with key players ruled out of the tournament following refusal by their European clubs to grant release.

 French Ligue 1 side Stade Reims and Bundesliga club Hoffenheim have both declined to release their Nigerian youth internationals for the competition in Chile, which is not on FIFA’s official international calendar, allowing clubs the right to withhold players.

According to ScireNigeria, Emmanuel Chukwu and Precious Benjamin, both of whom featured for Nigeria at the 2023 U20 AFCON in Egypt, will miss the World Cup after Hoffenheim turned down a request from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Similarly, Ibrahim Hafiz, a striker with Stade Reims, who recently trained with the team during a screening phase, has also been declared unavailable after the French club opted against releasing him.

This development forced head coach Aliyu Zubairu to adjust his plans and finalize a 21-man squad without some of his top overseas-based prospects.

Final Squad Announced, Major Changes as Flying Eagles Depart for Chile

Despite the setback, the Flying Eagles have confirmed their final 21-man squad, with several notable inclusions and omissions as they prepare to depart for South America.

Enyimba winger Clinton Jephta, Bidemi Amole, and Divine Oliseh, who were part of the U20 WAFU B qualifiers in Togo last year, have been dropped from the final list.

Team captain Daniel Bameyi headlines the squad, which features over 10 players who have been consistently involved in training camps and tune-up matches over the last month.

Key inclusions in the final roster are: Israel Ayuma, Ebenezer Harcourt, Charles Agada, Auwal Ibrahim, Kparobo Arierhi, Tahir Maigana, Odinaka Okoro

Adamu Maigari, a regular fullback, misses out due to a major knee injury.

The 20-man contingent departed Abuja on Sunday night with Norway-based midfielder Daniel Daga set to join up with the team directly in Chile to complete the squad.

The Flying Eagles will be aiming to improve on their recent performances and mount a serious challenge for the title when the tournament kicks off later this month.