President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Gusau, has admitted his worry over the recent run of disappointing results produced by various levels of Nigerian youth teams, Footynaija.com reports.
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles failed to impress at the FIFA U-20 World Cup hosted in Chile earlier this month. The Aliyu Zubairu-led team struggled to progress from the group stage before suffering an embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16.
At the lower level, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will miss out on the U-17 World Cup in November as well as the U-17 AFCON in Morocco next year after failing to beat Ghana in the semifinals of the WAFU-B Cup.
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While Gusau expressed concern over the recent disappointments, the freshly minted FIFA appointee also outlined the steps being taken in order to improve the fortunes of Nigeria’s youth football system.
What Ibrahim Gusau said
“I am worried because the future of our football starts with them. However, the good news is that the NFF and FIFA have developed a talent development program for the U-15 boys and girls, which remains a top priority,” Gusau said in quotes revealed by Complete Sports.
“You may recall that last year, the U-15 boys were in Morocco to play some friendly matches. We are starting afresh. In the near future, it won’t be business as usual for the U-17s. Instead of calling open camps where over a thousand boys show up, selection will now begin from age 14.
“It’s a worrying trend because Nigeria has always been one of the best youth footballing nations in the world, not just in Africa. So we must act quickly.
“We’re collaborating with FIFA to establish a program that will eliminate open screening camps. Instead, zonal programs will identify the best players, who will then be brought to Abuja for close monitoring. Hopefully, we’ll get out of this situation soon.”
Meanwhile, another one of Nigeria’s youth teams, the Flamingos, are currently participating in the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. They suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Canada in their first game and face a tough test against France later tonight.
