Nigeria’s under-23 national team, Olympic Eagles’ coach, Imama Amapakabo is overly putting his trust in foreign-based players to win this year’s Afirca championship in Egypt, as he has named only six from the domestic league in his squad of 21 to Egypt 2019, megasportsarena.com gathered.
Despite earlier stating doubt over his ability to get overseas-based players in the team to Egypt, Amapakabo eventually confirmed 15 of them in his roster, which was announced officially on Thursday, and the tactician appears to have confirmed that, contrary to initial reports, even his captain, Azubuike Okechukwu will be released by his club, Basaksehir of Turkey.
Same goes for defenders Anthony Izuchukwu, Sincere Seth and Olisah Ndah, midfielders Kelechi Nwakali, Muyiwa Olabiran and Ndifreke Effiong, as well as forwards Taiwo Awoniyi and Orji Okwonkwo, who have all been included in Amapakabo’s final list to defend the U23 Africa Cup of Nations title this November in The Land of The Pharaohs.
Consequently, the champions of the second edition of the competition in Senegal four years ago, will have almost every department in their squad saturated by lads who ply their trade abroad, with only the three goalkeepers exclusively selected from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL), as Amapakabo aims to retain the title when action starts in Cairo on November 8.
The Olympic Eagles are in Group B with Cote d’Ivoire, Zambia and South Africa, who they will all battle in that order at Al Salam Stadium, while hosts Egypt head Group A, where they will tango Ghana, Cameroon and Mali at Cairo International Stadium.
Nigeria’s first match of the campaign is against Cote d’Ivoire on Sunday, 9th November, with the former Rangers International of Enugu and El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri handler, who is still an assistant coach in the Super Eagles, aiming to see his squad finish among the top three teams at the eight nation finals, in order to represent Africa in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Amapakabo’s full list of 21 players has three goalkeepers in Adamu Abubakar (Wikki Tourists); Mohammed Galadima (Nasarawa United); and Kingdom Osayi (Giant Brillers); as well as seven defenders: Olisah Ndah (Remo Stars); Samuel Atavti (Esperance, Tunisia); Valentine Ozornwafor (Almeria, Spain); Sincere Seth (Boluspor, Turkey); Josiah Chukwudi (Spartak Tranava, Slovakia); Anthony Izuchukwu (Nest Sotra, Norway); and Bitok Stephen (FC Isloch, Belarus).
Also included are eight midfielders: Sunusi Ibrahim (Nasarawa United); Aliyu Yau Adam (Spartak Jurmala, Latvia); Muyiwa Olabiran (Tambov, Russia); Kelechi Nwakali (Huesca, Spain); Ndifreke Effiong (Akwa United); Sunday Faleye (Wacker, Austria); Tom Dele-Bashiru (Watford, England); and Azubuike Okechukwu (Basaksehir, Turkey); as well as only three forwards: Orji Okwonkwo (Bologna, Italy, on loan at Montreal Impact of Canada); Taiwo Awoniyi (SV Mainz, Germany); and Bright Enobakhare (Wolverhampton Wanderers, England).
