Maikaba Names 35-Player Flying Eagles Squad For WAFU B Camp

Abdu Maikaba made his first major decision as Flying Eagles head coach before the ink on his appointment had barely dried. The 35-player squad he has assembled for the opening camp in Abuja on Saturday reflects both the depth of available talent in the NPFL and lower divisions, and a clear intention to cast the net beyond Nigeria’s borders in search of players who can give the team a technical edge at the WAFU B U-20 Boys Championship in Côte d’Ivoire in July.

Six players in the squad are based at European clubs across four countries. Two NK-Istra 1961 players from Croatia have been called up, goalkeeper Abubakar Rufai and defender Mutari Momoh, giving the squad two players from the same Croatian top-flight club. Sale Abdulrashid from Kryubar FC in Ukraine, Simon Karshe Cletus from FC Rijeka in Croatia, Wahab Bolanle Musa from FC Malaga in Spain, and Imrana Mohammed from FC Alavés in Spain complete the European contingent, with the Alavés connection particularly notable given the LaLiga club’s profile.

Nigerian football fans following the Flying Eagles’ WAFU B preparations can use the Bet9ja youth football code to stay connected with all squad news and match updates as the July tournament in Côte d’Ivoire approaches.

The Full 35-Player Squad

Players highlighted in the squad tables above are European-based. The squad will be trimmed ahead of the July tournament, with the WAFU B Championship squad traditionally reduced to between 20 and 23 players. Saturday’s camp opening gives Maikaba and his backroom staff — first assistant Ortega Deniran, second assistant Abdullahi Biffo, and goalkeepers’ trainer Usman Mohammed — approximately six weeks of intensive preparation before the Côte d’Ivoire fixtures begin. Readers following the camp through to the tournament can check the Bet9ja YOHAIG new user code for the best current registration offer.

The European Contingent: What It Signals

Maikaba’s decision to include six European-based players in the initial 35-man call-up is a deliberate signal about the kind of technical quality he wants to test in camp. FC Alavés, Imrana Mohammed’s club, compete in LaLiga’s lower reaches, giving that forward experience of Spanish football’s tactical demands at a level considerably higher than what the NPFL can provide at the same age. FC Rijeka, Simon Karshe Cletus’s club, compete in the Croatian Prva HNL and regularly participate in UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying, meaning the midfielder has European match experience that most of his domestically-based counterparts cannot match.

The two NK-Istra 1961 players, Abubakar Rufai and Mutari Momoh, represent the same Croatian top-flight club, which suggests an agent or scouting relationship that has identified the club as a reliable conduit for Nigerian U-20 talent. Sale Abdulrashid’s involvement with Kryubar FC in Ukraine is particularly notable given the challenges Ukrainian football has faced during the ongoing conflict in the country, making his continued development there a mark of personal resilience alongside obvious footballing quality.

Domestic Clubs Well Represented

Among the domestic clubs, Sporting Lagos leads the representation with four players across three positions: goalkeeper Clinton Lawani, midfielder Victor Samuel, and forwards Seun Akanji and Alex Leme. That four-player contribution from a single Lagos-based academy club reflects how seriously Sporting Lagos has invested in youth development infrastructure, and the quality of their pipeline is now visible at national team selection level. Barau FC, the Kaduna-based club, contribute two players in Sa’ad Tijjani and Adamu Hussaini, continuing the northern Nigerian club’s growing presence in Nigeria’s youth football conversation.

P Sports, which contributes Peres Jerem and Goodluck Angel, and Mavlon FC with Abdulaziz Musa Ndaman and Ezekiel Oguchukwu both have two players each in the initial 35, underlining that Maikaba’s scouting has reached beyond the NPFL’s established names into the National League and academy circuit to find players whose age profiles fit the U-20 window. As reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng, the Flying Eagles’ squad composition — balancing European-based technical quality with domestic hunger and familiarity — mirrors the approach that has worked best for Nigeria in previous WAFU B campaigns, and gives Maikaba a genuine competition for places as the trimming process begins ahead of July. Fans of the Flying Eagles can also use the Bet9ja bet builder page to follow all upcoming youth international fixtures across the WAFU B qualifying window.