‘Poor Record-Keeping, Weak Player Monitoring Hinders Nigeria’s Youth-to-Senior Transition’ — Joseph Eyimofe

Former Nigerian international footballer Joseph Eyimofe has blamed Nigeria’s difficulty in promoting youth players into the senior national teams on poor record-keeping and weak player monitoring systems.

Speaking on The Eagle Online Nigeria YouTube programme “Sports Update” on Monday, Eyimofe said Nigeria often succeeds at youth level but struggles to properly track and develop players into full senior internationals.

He said the absence of structured data and consistent monitoring of young players remains a major setback.

“In Nigeria, we don’t keep records,” he said. “At the youth level we get it right, but to transition the players to senior level, we start having problems. We don’t monitor our players.”

According to him, leading football nations maintain strong tracking systems that follow players from youth stages through to senior national teams, ensuring continuity and development.

“Look at the Western world, there is no way we will not have like 70 percent of that (2001) U-17 team in their main team,” he added.

Eyimofe also expressed concern over Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite what he described as abundant talent within the Super Eagles setup.

He noted that countries in Europe consistently monitor their young players to support steady progression and strengthen their senior squads over time.

Despite the setbacks, he remained optimistic about the future of Nigerian football, saying: “There is time for everything and I know that we will get it right.”

During his playing career, Eyimofe featured for several clubs, including Warri Wolves FC, Heartland FC, and NPA FC. He also played in Ukraine’s top division with FC Kharkiv.

At international level, he represented Nigeria at youth stages, playing for the Nigeria U-17 (Golden Eaglets) at the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Championship, and later featured for the Nigeria U-20 (Flying Eagles).

He also noted his involvement in grassroots football development after retirement and currently serves as General Manager of P Sports Football Academy in Akwa Ibom State, where he works to support youth development and improve the transition of players into professional football.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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