Former Nigeria youth international Joshua Daniel has blamed inadequate preparation, poor scouting and interference in team selection for the Golden Eaglets’ failure to qualify for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Nigeria’s hopes ended at the WAFU-B U-17 Championship in Burkina Faso after a 2-1 defeat to Niger Republic and a 1-1 draw with Côte d’Ivoire left the five-time world champions bottom of Group B.
Reacting to the setback, Daniel urged football administrators to begin preparations for future competitions immediately rather than wait until another qualification campaign approaches.
“Let’s start preparing now. When we start preparing now, give them enough time, enough time to go out and scout for young players, players that we know can deliver,” he said.
The former international insisted that coaches must be allowed to select players on merit without external pressure.
“We should allow the coach to do what they want, select the kind of players that they want to select, that they know can deliver for them,” Daniel stated.
Daniel maintained that Nigeria possesses sufficient young talent but lacks the structures needed to identify and develop players effectively.
“We have players, but we are not doing enough in scouting those players. That is just the problem,” he explained.
He also criticised interference in the selection process, alleging that personal interests frequently undermine youth football development.
“Everybody wants to have their own players there,” he said.
“That’s why you see they would like to hire a coach that they can control.”
Nigeria’s latest elimination means the Golden Eaglets will miss another U-17 AFCON and World Cup campaign, despite their record five global titles.
Daniel believes reversing the decline requires early preparation, proper talent identification and the appointment of coaches who can work independently.
“Give them time. Start preparation now. We should think of how to make things better,” he urged.
For Daniel, Nigeria’s problem is not a shortage of talent but a failure to identify the right players and give coaches the freedom to build competitive teams.
