Emmanuel Amuneke slams NFF over decline in Youth football

Nigerian football legend, Emmanuel Amuneke, has criticised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), blaming the country’s declining youth football programme on poor planning and political interference.

In a new interview with Punch, the 1994 AFCON champion voiced his disappointment with the NFF’s handling of youth development, cautioning that Nigeria’s football future is in jeopardy unless immediate steps are 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 said.

“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.”

“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 remarks come at a time when Nigeria’s youth football is experiencing a troubling decline across multiple age groups.

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 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 reaction to the growing criticism, NFF President Ibrahim Gusau detailed a range of initiatives the federation plans to introduce to tackle the recent downturn.

“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.”