Uwejamomere Apologize To Nigerians After Golden Eaglets Wafu-B U17 Championship Exit
By Saheed Afolabi
Nigeria U-17 men’s national team head coach, Eboboritse Uwejamomere has apologized to Nigerians following the team’s elimination from the Wafu-B U17 Championship which also ended their hopes of featuring at next year’s U17 Africa Cup of Nations.
Uwejamomere admitted that the outcome was disappointing for the team and the country, acknowledging that the failure to secure qualification would be difficult for Nigerian football fans to accept.
The coach said the players and technical crew shared the frustration of supporters who had expected the team to progress in the competition.
“Obviously, the first impressions are unhappiness, disappointment. Now we are out of the tournament and the bigger picture is that we won’t go to the U-17 AFCON next year. We are unhappy and very disappointed overall,” Uwejamomere said.
Despite the setback, the coach urged the young players to use the experience as a learning opportunity, pointing out that their football careers were still at an early stage.
According to him, the disappointment should not define their future, as the players still have several years to develop and establish themselves in the professional game.
“For my players, obviously young boys, 15, 16-year-olds, they still have years ahead of them. This is like the first chapter of their career going into elite football. So it’s just to learn from this and just use this as an experience going forward in their career,” he added.
Uwejamomere also acknowledged the anger and frustration among Nigerian supporters, noting that the country’s football fans have high expectations of its national teams.
He said, he understood why supporters would be unhappy with the team’s failure, admitting that he would share the same feelings if he were in their position.
“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 fans, they are proud Nigerians. They want and they expect us to win every game, every tournament. That’s normal. Back home, I will feel disappointed,” the coach said.
Appealing for forgiveness, Uwejamomere stated that the disappointment experienced by supporters was equally felt by the players and the coaching staff.
“The only thing I can say to them is to forgive us because the disappointment they feel, I’m also feeling. My players are also feeling the same disappointment,” he said.
Nigeria have now missed out of the FIFA U17 World Cup for the fourth consecutive time despite being five times champions of the age grade tournament.
Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations represents a setback for the country’s youth football programme, leaving the young players with valuable lessons to draw from as they continue their development.
