The Nigerian national football teams have always been successful at the youth level, at least until recent years. With a record 5 under-17 World Cup triumphs to their name making them the most successful nation at that age grade and also reaching the semi finals of the under 20 World Cup 5 times with 2 second place finishes the most recent of those coming in the year 2005. The Nigerians are a massive force to be reckoned with
But recent years have seen them falter in the big stages where they had excelled and shone in the past, with the most recent iteration of the U-17 World Cup seeing them drop out of the round of 16 whilst not qualifying altogether for the 2017 edition. Their Under-20 counterparts also finishing 4th at the Africa U-20 cup of nations, a competition which they’ve previously won seven times, three more than any other country to have participated at the showpiece event.
A culmination of mismanagement,unkept promises by the football federation and age cheating controversies have embattled the youth teams in recent years with a total of 26 players from a 60 man strong squad sent home reportedly cut after failing compulsory MRI scans for age testing ahead of an African cup of nations qualifier in 2016. The football federation however shoulder a huge chunk of the blame with widespread allegations of induced selections and coercion in the squad selections dominating headlines after 6 players that were part of the squad that qualified for the World Cup were dropped and the NFF giving no apparent reasons with the NFF spokesperson insisting that the players were simply not considered good enough. There is also the issue of a reported backlog of unpaid salaries and bonuses to the managers and staff with U-17 coach manu garba also being owed.
These issues need to be addressed, and fast if the Nigerians are to be returned to their former high standards, with the country most certainly blessed with undeniable talent and the resources to make things work as they have done in the past.
