Flying Eagles head coach Abdu Maikaba says he is correcting the selection problems that undermined Nigeria’s WAFU Zone B Under-20 Championship campaign, so the team is ready if CAF awards the sub-region an additional place at the Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

The place has not been confirmed. Nigeria lost twice to Burkina Faso at the tournament in Côte d’Ivoire, including a 4-1 final defeat in Yamoussoukro.

Maikaba said passport problems ruled out several players, while European clubs refused to release others who had been part of the preparations.

“We had a lot of issues the last time because so many of the players that made the team were eliminated because of passport issues,” he said. “We also had players that we prepared the team with that were not released by their clubs in Europe. It became so difficult replacing players in the dying minutes.”

He said limited time together also hurt the squad and contrasted it with Burkina Faso’s.

“Some of my players I only [got to] know basically three weeks before the start of the WAFU B competition. It is always difficult,” he said. “We were able to achieve something by getting to the final, and now there are speculations that we would be given the second slot to represent WAFU at the Under-20 AFCON.”

“Football is a team game; it is not an individual game,” Maikaba added. “Burkina Faso have been together for the last four years. They had the same team that represented [them] at the last FIFA Under-17 World Cup, and it is the same team that moved to the Under-20 stage. So understanding, cohesion and team play are there in the team.”

The coach said he is focusing on player selection if Nigeria gets the chance.

“I have been doing my homework; if it happens that we are given that slot, most especially in the selection of players,” he said. “It will be different if we have another chance to play in the competition because I am doing a lot of homework to ensure we do not make those mistakes again.”

Maikaba spoke in Owerri after Bayelsa United, whom he also coaches, lost 3-0 to Heartland FC in a preseason friendly on Tuesday.

He acknowledged the team has work to do before the Nigeria National League (NNL) starts, but said the scoreline was misleading.

“I think this game won’t be the yardstick to judge the team, most especially because our boys found it difficult to play on this surface,” he said. “Despite the result, I liked the way our boys played. We created our own scoring chances and didn’t convert them, but it is a work in progress.”

Maikaba said he has worked on Bayelsa United’s build-up and midfield play, with collective defending and finishing next.

Bayelsa United aim to earn promotion to the NPFL from a group that includes Akwa United, Beyond Limits and Abakaliki FC.

“It is a challenging task to promote the team back to the NPFL, but we are doing everything possible legitimately to make sure we actualise that objective,” he said. “We are building a young team, and, by the early stage of the league season, it should be at its best. Being at its best means winning games both home and away, and with that promotion is achievable.”