Emmanuel Amuneke has criticised the Nigeria Football Federation over the country’s struggling youth football programme, attributing recent failures to poor planning and political interference.
The 1994 AFCON winner expressed disappointment at the NFF’s approach to youth development, warning that the country’s future in football is at risk if urgent action is not taken.
“A nation that fails to develop its youth football is a failure. I don’t know why they suddenly believe they will win because we have prayed, because when you compromise hard work to pray, then nothing will happen,” Amuneke told The PUNCH.
“When other nations are busy developing their young ones, the ones that will take over in the next five years, we are busy here playing politics. These are the reasons for the failures of these youth teams.”
The former Barcelona forward insisted that while Nigeria still possesses quality young players, the lack of developmental effort has become the major stumbling block.
“I will say that there is not much difference between my time and now in terms of quality, but what has changed is the effort of development being put into these youths,” he added.
Amuneke’s comments come amid a worrying decline in Nigeria’s youth football fortunes across various age categories.
The country’s U-20 men’s team, the Flying Eagles, failed to advance beyond the second round of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, a tournament eventually won by Morocco.
At the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the Flamingos suffered a 4-1 defeat to Canada in their opening match on Sunday. They will be seeking redemption when they face France in their second match on Wednesday.
Similarly, Nigeria’s U-17 men’s team, the Golden Eaglets, will miss the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup after losing to Ghana in the semi-finals of the 2025 WAFU-B Cup. The result also ruled them out of next year’s U-17 AFCON in Morocco.
In response to the mounting criticism, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau outlined a series of measures the federation is set to implement to address the recent decline.
Gusau expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s disappointing results but assured that there is hope for the future, revealing that the federation is already putting structures in place to ensure a stronger pipeline of young talent.
“I am worried because the future of our football starts with them. However, the good news is that the NFF and FIFA have developed a talent development programme for the U-15 boys and girls, which remains a top priority,” Gusau said.
“You may recall that last year, the U-15 boys were in Morocco to play some friendly matches. We are starting afresh. In the near future, it won’t be business as usual for the U-17s. Instead of calling open camps where over a thousand boys show up, selection will now begin from age 14.”
Gusau added that the NFF is committed to working closely with FIFA to institutionalise this new system.
“It’s a worrying trend because Nigeria has always been one of the best youth footballing nations in the world, not just in Africa. So we must act quickly,” he said.
“We’re collaborating with FIFA to establish a programme that will eliminate open screening camps. Instead, zonal programmes will identify the best players, who will then be brought to Abuja for close monitoring. Hopefully, we’ll get out of this situation soon.”
Amuneke credited his own early development to the late Yemi Tella, who gave him opportunities as a youth player.
“I came through that rank of playing from youth even when I was in school; I was playing for a club because I was given the opportunity by late coach Yemi Tella,” the 1994 African Footballer of the Year said.
“We have players; Nigeria has never fallen short of players. If you develop what you have, you can see them start playing, but when you don’t believe in your youths, how do you expect them to play? Spain believe in their youths, they develop them and give them that opportunity to grow.”
Unlike when Victor Osimhen, Kelechi Nwakali and Samuel Chukwueze were slowly integrated into the national team after their exploits winning the 2015 U-17 World Cup, there is currently no teenage talent making the Eagles squads, not necessarily for an appearance but also to understudy.
Former Super Falcons assistant coach Mansur Abdullahi believes the problem lies in the follow-up process after talent identification.
“We have talents in the country, but the issue is the procedure of getting them to the next level and into good academies. These talents, when discovered, are not followed up,” Abdullahi said.