28th June, 2013
Nigeria football boss, Aminu Maigari has tasked the Flying Eagles to go all the way and win the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Youth Championship.
On Thursday, Nigeria became the first African team to reach the Round of 16 of Turkey 2013 and await the runners-up in Group F, which has Uzbekistan, Croatia, Uruguay and New Zealand.
“We want you to win this tournament. We have supported you by ensuring you do not lack anything including being in training camp for three straight months and we now want you to deliver,” Maigari charged the team on arrival in Turkey from the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.
The Flying Eagles trained in Germany and Austria as well as featured at the Toulon International Tournament in France to prepare for the World Cup.
Coach John Obuh steered the team to the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup in Colombia and the Flying Eagles also made history as the first African side to win the FIFA Fair Play trophy at the competition.
Nigeria’s best performance at the U-20 World Cup was achieved in 1989 and 2005, when they reached the final.
Meanwhile, the Flying Eagles will observe a rest day Friday and are billed to be hosted by the Nigerian community in Turkey later in the day.