Golden Eaglets coach asks Nigerians for forgiveness after WAFU B exit

Golden Eaglets head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere has apologised to Nigerians after the team’s disappointing group-stage elimination from the 2026 WAFU B U-17 championship in Burkina Faso.

Nigeria needed victory against Cote d’Ivoire in their second Group match on Saturday to keep their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive, having opened the tournament with a 2-1 defeat by Niger Republic.

However, the Golden Eaglets could manage only a 1-1 draw, a result which ended their participation in the regional competition.

The tournament also served as a qualifying event for the 2027 U-17 AFCON in Morocco. By failing to reach the required stage, Nigeria have also missed out on qualification for the 2027 U-17 World Cup, a competition the Golden Eaglets last appeared in 2019.

Uwejamomere said the consequences of the early exit had made the disappointment particularly difficult for the team.

“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 said.

The coach also urged patience with his players, pointing out that they remain at the beginning of their careers in elite football.

“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,” he said.

“So it’s just to learn from this and just use this as an experience going forward in their career.”

Uwejamomere acknowledged that supporters in Nigeria would be angry after a campaign which ended before the semi-finals, but said their reaction reflected the expectations surrounding the national youth team.

“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,” he said.

The coach concluded by asking supporters to forgive the team, saying the players and staff shared their frustration.

“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.”