Garba Warns Flying Eagles Players to Step Up or “Go Home”

Head Coach of Nigeria’s men’s under-20 team, the Flying Eagles, has sounded a wake up call to his side ahead of this weekend’s African Youth Championship (AYC) qualifier in Tanzania.

The coach, who has dropped two players from the squad to play the Ngorongoro Heroes, says any player who fails to level up to expectation will be axed from the squad.

The Nigeria U-20 lost 1-0 to Benin Republic in a warm-up match on Sunday in Cotonou.

Manu Garba Warns Flying Eagles Players to Rise Up to the Occasion in their AYC Qualifier Against Tanzania.
Manu Garba Warns Flying Eagles Players to Rise Up to the Occasion in their AYC Qualifier Against Tanzania.

“You have to prove yourself by our next game or you go home,” said the former Golden Eaglets coach on Monday.

“Sunday’s game in Cotonou is now in the past. We have seen some of our lapses and we will correct them before the qualifier in Tanzania.

“We remain positive and so we wish to win in Tanzania so that the return leg will be mere formality.”

The duo of Abdulazeez Abubakar (goalkeeper) and Ifeanyi Nweke (defender) are not expected to be part of the 18-man squad to fly out to Dodoma on Wednesday afternoon.

The team returned to Lagos on Monday morning from Benin.

Tanzania saw off east African rivals, Kenya on penalties in the first round of qualifiers to book a date with Nigeria.

Two years ago, the Eagles halted the same opponents 4-1 on aggregate- including a 2-1 away win- to book a ticket for the AYC.