Just two days after parting ways with Egyptian second division side Telecom SC, Aliyu Zubairu has been appointed head coach of Sudanese club Al Ahli Madani on a two-year contract, Footynaija.com reports.
The appointment caps a busy stretch for the 62-year-old Nigerian coach who has built one of the more interesting CVs in Nigerian football.
Zubairu first came to national prominence in June 2024 when he guided El-Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri to win the Nigeria President Federation Cup, beating Abia Warriors in the final in Lagos. That achievement earned him the Flying Eagles job, and he grabbed it with both hands.
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Under his watch, Nigeria’s under-20 side won the WAFU B U-20 Championship and finished third at the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations in Egypt, results that were strong enough to earn the team a place at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
His contract with the NFF expired after the tournament, and he subsequently moved to Egypt to take charge of Telecom SC in the second division before that arrangement ended by mutual consent this week.
A new chapter in Sudan
Al Ahli Madani are among the more established clubs in Sudanese football, competing in the Sudan Premier League and carrying the ambitions of a club that wants to push toward the top of the domestic game.
Zubairu’s experience across Nigeria, Egypt and international youth football gives him a profile that fits exactly the kind of coaching appointment clubs in emerging African leagues tend to seek.
The two-year deal gives him enough runway to build something meaningful. With a World Cup campaign on his managerial record and a Federation Cup title to his name, Zubairu arrives in Sudan as one of the most experienced Nigerian coaches currently working on the continent.
