Eaglets coach says sorry for WAFU-B failure

Golden Eaglets coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere has said sorry to Nigerians after the team failed to qualify for the 2027 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations. This happened after a poor outing at the WAFU-B U-17 Championship in Burkina Faso.

Nigeria ended up at the bottom of Group B with just one point from two matches. They lost 2-1 to Niger Republic and drew 1-1 with Côte d’Ivoire, missing out on the semi-finals.

Because of these results, the five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions will not take part in the next edition of the continental tournament. This also means Nigeria will miss the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

Uwejamomere understood the disappointment among fans. He admitted that both the players and coaching staff felt let down by their performance.

“For the fans back home, it’s a bitter feeling. A lot of them probably hate us right now, but this is normal because they are proud Nigerians and they want us to win every game, every tournament,” he said.

He added, “The only thing I can say to them is to forgive us because the disappointment they feel is also what I’m feeling. My players are also feeling the same disappointment.”

The coach also called on Nigerians to remember that the players are still young. They have time to learn from this experience as they move forward in their football careers.

This early exit is another hit to Nigeria’s age-grade football program. The country is now set to miss a fourth straight FIFA U-17 World Cup.

This failure has raised new worries about how well the national team is prepared and how competitive they are at the youth level.

Nigeria’s five titles at the FIFA U-17 World Cup have made the country a strong force in the tournament. So, the latest failure to qualify is especially hard for fans to accept.