Nigeria’s once-dominant U17 national team, the Golden Eaglets, has experienced a worrying drop in performance in recent years.
The team, which won the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2013 and 2015, has failed to keep up the success, missing out on qualification for the 2025 U17 Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar.
According to Manu Garba, the team’s former coach who led them to World Cup glory in 2013, the decline can be attributed to the removal of match bonuses for youth teams by former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President Amaju Pinnick.
Garba believes that the decision to stop paying bonuses to youth teams has had a negative impact on the team’s performance.
“One reason is that the removal of match bonuses for age-grade teams by former NFF president Amaju Pinnick did more harm than good,” Garba said in an interview with The Nation.
“Paying match bonuses used to be a strong motivation.” During their winning campaigns in 2007, 2013, and 2015, players were motivated not just by the desire to win, but also by the bonuses and allowances that rewarded good performances.
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Apart from the lack of motivation, Garba also pointed out that poor preparation has contributed to the team’s struggles.
“Apart from the 2013 and 2015 World Cup-winning teams coached by me and Emmanuel Amuneke that had good preparation, other squads didn’t get enough time in camp to bond and work as a team,” he explained.
The 2013 team, which spent months together before the AFCON qualifiers, went on to score 25 goals and concede only four, winning several individual and team awards, including fair play and best goalkeeper.
The Golden Eaglets WAFU 2024 squad. (Photo credit: Getty Images)
The Golden Eaglets’ decline is a worrying trend that needs to be addressed urgently. Since 2015, the team has failed to make their mark at continental and global tournaments, missing out on qualification for the 2025 U17 Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar. The team’s last major triumph was the Africa U17 Cup of Nations in 2007.
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To revive the Golden Eaglets’ fortunes, there is a need for a return to the structures that once made the team the pride of the world. This includes providing adequate preparation and motivation for the players.
As Garba noted, “The players were motivated not just by the desire to win, but also by the bonuses and allowances that rewarded good performances.” By reintroducing match bonuses and ensuring that teams get enough time in camp to bond and work together, Nigeria’s youth football system can once again produce talented teams that can compete at the highest level.
