African Games 2023: Ladan Bosso explains modalities to select Nigeria squad

By Wale Mustapha

Head Coach of Nigeria U20 men’s national team, Ladan Bosso has disclosed how his final 18 man squad for the 2023 Africa Games will be selected.

The Flying Eagles as the U20 men’s team are called will represent the country at the games slated for Accra, Ghana next month and Bosso feels the African Games will also be used to prepare his team for the forthcoming West African Football Union (WAFU B) U20 championship coming up later in the year.

“There is no time for us for screening of players because we are supposed to leave for Ghana by 1st March, 2024. We have less than two weeks to prepare,” Bosso told BSNSports in Abuja.

“Before now, I was contacted to submit 70-man list for this competition through Technical Department for onward submission to CAF. And after the list has been scrutinised by those saddled with the responsibility, it was trimmed down to 47, which was sent to CAF.

“This means that we are not here for open screening again, the final 18 players that will represent Nigeria at the competition are from the 47-man list.

“We want to use this All African Games team to prepare the Flying Eagles for WAFU coming up in May The players in the 30-man list that have resumed training will be trimmed down to create space for invitation of some of the remaining 17.

“This will help us select the best legs from the submitted list. In selecting the final 18, we have six eligible players from the Flying Eagles at the FIFA U20 World Cup last year,

“We will select another six from the Nduka Ugbade led Golden Eaglets which many clamoured for invitation of some of the good players for development. Then another six players from the Nigeria Leagues will complete my 18-man squad for the 2024 All African Games in Ghana.”

The Eight teams that will compete at the 2023 African Games, alongside hosts Ghana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda.

The Flying Eagles will open their campaign against East African side Uganda on 8th March, 2024.

The African Games Accra 2023 will take place from 8-24 March 2024 in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.