Emmanuel Amuneke, the winner of the African Footballer of the Year award, has expressed his discontent with the Nigeria Football Federation regarding the nation’s faltering grassroots football, attributing the recent setbacks to inadequate planning and political meddling.
The 1994 AFCON champion conveyed his dissatisfaction with the NFF’s strategy for youth development, cautioning that the future of football in the country is jeopardized if immediate measures are not implemented.
”A nation that neglects the development of its young people’s football is destined to fail. I am perplexed as to why they suddenly think victory will come simply because we have prayed, for when one sacrifices hard work for prayer, nothing will materialize,” he stated.
”While other countries are diligently nurturing their young talents, who will take over in the next five years, we are preoccupied with political games. These are the factors contributing to the failures of our youth teams.”
The former Barcelona player emphasized that although Nigeria still has talented young athletes, the absence of developmental initiatives has emerged as the primary obstacle.
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”I would argue that there is little distinction in quality between my era and the present, but what has shifted is the commitment to developing these youths,” he remarked.
Amuneke’s remarks arise amidst a concerning decline in Nigeria’s youth football performance across different age groups.
The U-20 men’s team, known as the Flying Eagles, was unable to progress past the second round of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, a tournament ultimately claimed by Morocco.
In the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the Flamingos faced a 4-1 loss to Canada in their opening match on Sunday. They will aim for redemption when they compete against France in their second match on Wednesday.
Likewise, Nigeria’s U-17 men’s team, the Golden Eaglets, will not participate in the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup after their defeat to Ghana in the semi-finals of the 2025 WAFU-B Cup. This outcome has also eliminated them from next year’s U-17 AFCON in Morocco.
