Nigeria U-20 head coach Aliyu Zubairu is reportedly set to join the Egyptian side Telecom SC (also known as We SC) after his role with the Flying Eagles.
Sources indicate that Zubairu will leave his post with Nigeria’s U-20 national team and take up a new assignment with the Cairo-based club, which competes in the Egyptian league system under the name “We SC (Telecom Egypt)”.
This move comes on the heels of his successful recent campaign with the Flying Eagles, who secured a bronze medal at the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.
Zubairu’s departure will trigger a search for a new Nigeria U-20 head coach ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, for which the Flying Eagles have qualified.
Editorial
Few transitions in football are as laden with significance as a national youth coach departing to club football abroad. In Aliyu Zubairu’s case, the shift from the helm of Nigeria’s U-20 side to a role with Telecom SC in Egypt carries weight not simply in job title, but in ambition, identity and the evolving dynamics of African football.
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When a coach chooses to leave the national setting, he relinquishes more than one badge he trades the collective narrative of country for the daily grind of club life. Yet Zubairu’s decision is not escape it is extension. Having led the Flying Eagles to a commendable third place at the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, he demonstrated not only tactical acumen but a capacity to handle pressure, nurture young talent, and manage expectations. Nigeria has long wrestled with bridging the talent-pipeline into global success Zubairu’s work addressed that challenge.
To join Telecom SC is to embrace a different kind of responsibility. Egyptian club football is tactical, competitive and culturally rich. For a Nigerian coach to succeed there would be a statement that our technical staff are not just domestically potent, but globally viable. It is a step for an individual and a signal for the coaching ecosystem in Nigeria.
But with opportunity comes risk. The Flying Eagles must now rebuild continuity, ensure that their development pathway remains intact, and negotiate the gap left by Zubairu’s departure. The Nigeria Football Federation faces the task of appointing a successor who can maintain momentum, not merely preserve status quo. The World U-20 Cup is looming time is short.
In broader terms, this move reflects changing trends. African coaches increasingly look beyond their borders clubs across the continent recognise and recruit talent from other countries, not just players but tacticians. For Nigeria, this could be a precursory moment when our coaches, like our players, become export-quality.
At a human level, Zubairu’s transition underscores what football often disguises that behind every tactical plan and developmental project, there is a person choosing challenge over comfort, opportunity over familiarity. Whether he thrives in Egypt or endures a turbulent season, this move will define his career as much as his previous success defined his reputation.
In sum, Zubairu is not departing Nigeria because he failed; he is departing because he succeeded. The test now lies not only in what he will build at Telecom SC, but in how Nigeria replaces him, how the Flying Eagles evolve, and how this ripple translates into long-term structural change.
Did You Know?
- Aliyu Zubairu led the Flying Eagles to their third place finish at the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, marking the team’s best continental result since their last title in 2015.
- The Egyptian club Telecom SC (now known as We SC) was originally affiliated with Telecom Egypt and is based in.
- Zubairu previously served as head coach of NPFL side El‑Kanemi Warriors, where he helped achieve significant milestones before turning full-time to his national team role.
- The Nigeria U-20 national team (Flying Eagles) has won the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations seven times, making them one of the most successful teams in the competition’s history.
- Should Zubairu succeed at Telecom SC, he would become one of the few Nigerian coaches to hold a senior club coaching position abroad, particularly in North African football a region historically less frequented by sub-Saharan coaches.
