Nigeria’s preparations for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile have suffered a setback as several key players were withdrawn by their clubs, highlighting challenges for the national team ahead of the tournament scheduled to kick off on September 27 and run until October 20.
French side Stade Reims and Germany’s Hoffenheim declined to release Nigerian players, citing that the competition is not on FIFA’s official calendar, which allows clubs to withhold players from international duty. Emmanuel Chukwu and Precious Benjamin, both with Hoffenheim, and Ibrahim Hafiz of Stade Reims, will miss the tournament, removing critical talent from the Flying Eagles roster.
Head coach Aliyu Zubairu has revised his squad, naming a 21-man roster that excludes several overseas-based players. Team captain Daniel Bameyi leads the squad, which includes regular participants from recent training camps and friendly matches. New additions to the team include Israel Ayuma, Ebenezer Harcourt, Charles Agada, Auwal Ibrahim, Kparobo Arierhi, Tahir Maigana, and Odinaka Okoro, while Adamu Maigari was ruled out with a knee injury.
Enyimba winger Clinton Jephta, along with Bidemi Amole and Divine Oliseh, who featured in the U-20 WAFU B qualifiers in Togo, were also left out. Norway-based midfielder Daniel Daga is expected to join the squad in Chile ahead of Nigeria’s opening match.
The Flying Eagles will aim to improve on past performances and contend strongly for the title, seeking their first FIFA U-20 World Cup after reaching the finals in 1989 and 2005. At the Argentina 2023 edition, Nigeria were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Republic of Korea.
Reported by: Stone Reporters News
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