Nigeria and Ivory Coast national under-20 teams are in Kigali for their final tune-ups ahead of the 16th edition of the Africa Youth Championships set for January 18-February 1in Kigali.

Ivory Coast was the first country to arrive on Friday while the Flying Eagles jetted at Kigali international airport on Saturday.

The Ivory Coast U-20 team has been accommodated in Alpha Palace hotel while the Flying Eagles have been checked in at Okapi hotel respectively.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s preparation for the forthcoming African Youth Championship have received a major boost ahead of the tournament, as Portugal based star Ibrahim Rabiu who features for  Sporting Lisbon has been given a go ahead to join the Flying Eagles camp in Kigali.

Rabiu will join the Flying Eagles’ camp in Kigali on Thursday next week, three days before the championship kicks off.

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been battling with some European clubs over the release of their players for the African Youth Championship, after some of them insisted that the U-20 African Championship in Rwanda is not on the FIFA world calendar for championship.

Five-time champions, Nigeria finished runners up two year ago in Guinea, before crashing out of the FIFA World Youth Championship last year in Canada.

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