Golden Eaglets head coach, Eboboritse Uwejamomere, has apologised to Nigerians following the team’s disappointing performance at the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship.
Nigeria crashed out of the competition at the group stage after playing a 1-1 draw against Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday.
The defeat ended Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, with the team finishing bottom of Group B with just one point from two matches.
The Golden Eaglets had earlier suffered a 2-1 loss to Niger Republic in their opening game before failing to secure the victory needed against Côte d’Ivoire to advance.
Nigeria have now missed out on qualification for the last two editions of the continental competition, raising further concerns about the country’s performance at the youth level.
Reacting to the team’s elimination, Uwejamomere admitted that the outcome was disappointing for the players, the technical crew and supporters back home.
“Obviously, the first impressions are unhappiness, disappointment. Now we are out of the tournament and more bigger picture is that we won’t go to the U-17 AFCON next year, we are unhappy and very disappointed overall,” he told the media.
The coach acknowledged the frustration among Nigerian fans, noting that their expectations for success were understandable given the country’s football tradition.
“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 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.”
