Alhaji Aminu Maigari, Chairman, Nigeria Football Association (NFA), on Friday charged the Flying Eagles to go all out to win the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
This was contained in a statement signed by the team’s media officer, Samm Audu, in Abuja.
Nigeria became the first African team to reach the Round of 16 in the ongoing World Cup in Turkey.
The team will likely lock horns with the runners up in Group F, which has Uzbekistan, Croatia, Uruguay and New Zealand.
Maigari urged the team to make history by winning the new U-20 World Cup trophy at stake in Turkey.
“We want you to win this tournament.
“We have supported you by ensuring you do not lack anything, which included the training camp in Germany, for three straight months and we now want you to deliver,” he said.
Maigari made the call after his arrival in Turkey from the Confederations Cup in Brazil.
“We have fulfilled all our obligations to you and now, we expect you to justify our confidence.”
The Flying Eagles trained in Germany and Austria, and also featured at the Toulon International Tournament in France, to prepare for the World Cup.
The statement noted that Coach John Obuh had steered the team to the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup in Colombia.
The team 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 Friday as a rest day, and will be hosted by the Nigerian community in Turkey later in the day.
