Golden Eaglets Coach Uwejamomere Begs Nigerians Forgiveness After WAFU B Exit

Golden Eaglets head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere has apologised to Nigerians following the team’s early elimination from the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship in Burkina Faso.

Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco ended on Saturday after they drew 1-1 with Côte d’Ivoire, having lost their opening match 2-1 to Niger Republic.

The Golden Eaglets needed a victory against the Ivorians to keep their semi-final hopes alive, but the draw confirmed their group-stage exit.

The failure to qualify for the continental competition also means Nigeria will miss the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The country last appeared at the tournament in 2019.

Reacting to the disappointing campaign, Uwejamomere admitted that the players and coaching staff were unhappy with the outcome and its implications for Nigerian football.

“Obviously, the first impressions are unhappiness and 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,” he said.

The coach urged the young players to learn from the setback and use the experience to improve as they progress in their careers.

He noted that most members of the squad were aged 15 or 16 and had enough time to develop their abilities despite the disappointment.

“For my players, obviously young boys, 15- and 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 frustration among Nigerian supporters, who had expected the team to progress further in the competition.

While recognising the fans’ right to express their disappointment, he appealed for forgiveness, saying the players and coaching staff shared their pain over the early exit.

“The only thing I can say to them is to forgive us because of the disappointment they feel I’m also feeling; my players are also feeling the same disappointment,” he said.