GLO THROWS WEIGHT BEHIND FLYING EAGLES

Telecommunications giant and leading sponsor of football in Nigeria, Globacom has backed the national Under-20 team- The Flying Eagles urging it to go all out and defend the AYC trophy as the African Youth Championship formally kick-off yesterday in Algeria. The Flying Eagles started the title defence on a shaky note losing 1-0 to the Young Eagles of Mali at the Stade Ahmed Zabana in Oran.

A statement from Globacom in Lagos said the Flying Eagles have all it takes to surmount the challenge posed by their group opponents and go all the way to win the trophy. 'We have followed the preparation by the Nigerian junior team ahead of this competition and we believe in the team to excel. It is imperative to go for victory so as to gain confidence ahead of the remaining group matches against Gabon and Congo DR.'

The company said it quite optimistic that the Flying Eagles will fly higher as they are enjoying the benefit of team work as many of the players have been playing together since their Golden Eaglets days. 'It is also our belief that the Flying Eagles are aware of the expectations of Nigerians who are still basking in the euphoria of the recent success achieved by the Super Eagles as the African Champions at the African Nations Cup in South Africa. The Super Eagles' success should be a motivating factor for the team,' the statement said.

The Flying Eagles have been acclimatizing in Tunisia ahead of the forthcoming African Youth Championship scheduled to hold in Algeria between 16th and 30th March, 2013.

The top four teams in the Championship will represent Africa at the 2013 U-20 World Cup in Turkey.