Former Golden Eaglets player Joshua Daniel has described Nigeria’s continued absence from major youth football tournaments as shameful, urging the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to overhaul its preparation and selection processes following the country’s elimination from the WAFU-B U-17 Championship in Burkina Faso.
The Golden Eaglets failed to progress beyond the group stage after losing 2-1 to Niger Republic and drawing 1-1 with Côte d’Ivoire, ending their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Daniel expressed concern that a country with Nigeria’s record of five FIFA U-17 World Cup titles now struggles to qualify for the competition.
“It’s a shame that a footballing nation like Nigeria could not qualify for the Under-17 any longer, a tournament that we’ve been dominating,” he said.
The former youth international insisted that the problem was not a shortage of talented footballers.
“We have a lot of talent. We have youngsters, creative youngsters that can do more than what we imagine,” he stated.
Daniel called for the appointment of competent coaches and demanded that preparations for the next qualification campaign begin immediately.
“The preparation for the next one will start now. Now. We are not supposed to wait till that time,” he stressed.
He criticised the practice of rushing preparations shortly before tournaments and expecting coaches to produce immediate results.
“Allow the coach to do what they want. We should not interfere. The NFF should not interfere,” Daniel added.
The former Eaglets player argued that coaches must have sufficient time to scout talented youngsters and select players capable of representing Nigeria successfully.
His comments come after Nigeria’s latest failure to reach the continental championship, extending a difficult period for a country once renowned for its dominance at U-17 level.
Daniel maintained that early preparation, proper coaching appointments and freedom from administrative interference are essential to restoring Nigeria’s standing in international youth football.
