Former coach of Nigeria’s national U-17 and U-20 teams, John Obuh, has apportioned the inability of the Golden Eaglets to qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup from the U-17 AFCON in Algeria to inadequate preparation of the team, Completesports.com reports.
According to the former coach of Kwara United, the Golden Eaglets’ performance in Algeria was a reflection of how ill-prepared they were. He said the boys would have done better if they had gone on a training camp outside the country and played games with their counterparts from other countries
“Playing training matches with academy teams is not enough preparation for the team to excel in Algeria. The boys needed exposure, but they didn’t get it and we paid dearly for it by failing to be among the four African representatives at the World Cup.
“I don’t really know why NFF didn’t consider arranging a tour for the boys. I hope that in future such mistakes will not be repeated. There are good talents in that team and I will urge the NFF to keep and monitor the players for the Under-20 team. They should not be abandoned because they failed to qualify for the World Cup.
“I feel for Coach Nduka Ugbade who had done very well assisting other coaches to win the U-17 World Cup. He is a workaholic who deserved to be at the World Cup but he unfortunately lost out at U-17 AFCON. I really think the NFF should let him move up to the Under-20 so that we don’t waste the talents in this team,” coach Obuh stated
Nigeria lost in the 2023 U-17 quarter-finals to their counterparts from Burkina Faso after emerging as second-best in their group behind Morocco.
By Richard Jideaka, Abuja
4 Comments
Good talk! But will NFF learn to improve our teams. A bunch of selfish people. NFF is a body that neither believe not practices continuity hence the backwardness.
Ugabde’s mandate as u17 coach should be renewed, given the circumstances that ensued around the team between when they won the WAFU B, and when they set feet in Algeria for the AFCON itself.
He should just be taught lessons in humility too, we could have defeated burkina faso if we weren’t overconfident. Talking about a matchup with Senegal when we hadnt even met Bfaso, for me, was the height of our arrogance.
By the way, have they paid Ugbade? Or is he working for free?
It has been written that nothing good can come to Nigeria as long as APC is at the helm of affairs in your shithole call Nigeria. Coach Ugbade has no fault at all in the failure, under 20 boys will not go beyond preminary and many disappointments are in the coffin until you know how to use your PVC . Nigeria will remain like Isreal under king Saul.