Exclusive Foot Africa: Douglas Idahosa points the finger at the Nigeria U20 coach

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Foot Africa

·11 Oktober 2025

Exclusive Foot Africa: Douglas Idahosa points the finger at the Nigeria U20 coach

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Douglas Idahosa points the finger at the Nigeria coach

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Nigeria/@arise

Nigerian coach Douglas Idahosa has criticized the head coach of Nigeria's Flying Eagles, Aliyu Zubairu, following the team's disappointing World Cup campaign in Chile.

He had every opportunity and all the support needed to select the best players in Nigeria, but he refused and only picked those who gave him money. His mistake was not recruiting the best available talent. The players he took to the tournament simply weren't up to the standard. Nigerian coaches no longer pick the best players, but only those who can pay for a spot in the squad.

Barely scraping through to the Round of 16 at the U20 World Cup, Nigeria suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Argentina, losing 4-0 in the knockout stage.

A poor showing for the Flying Eagles, a team that has often made a mark at the U20 World Cup, notably finishing as runners-up in the 2005 edition.