April 8, (THEWILL) – The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced that the country’s Under-15 team, known as the Future Eagles, has been denied visas by the Spanish Embassy to participate in the upcoming UEFA U16 Development Tournament.
The tournament, set to commence on Friday, was a highly anticipated event for the Nigerian squad, whose youth football pedigree is well-established. The team, coached by Patrick Bassey, had been invited to the tournament due to Nigeria’s impressive record in youth competitions, having won five world titles at the U17 level and reaching the FIFA World Cup final on two occasions at the U20 level.
As part of their preparations, the Future Eagles had undergone a week-long training camp at the Remo Stars’ Sports Institute in Ikenne, where they played two matches against the Remo Stars’ U16 team, winning one and losing the other. Additionally, the team had recently completed a two-match tour of Morocco, claiming a win and a loss against their Moroccan counterparts.
The NFF expressed disappointment at the visa denial, which has prevented the team from travelling to Spain for the tournament. The delegation, which was set to include 20 players and led by Zannah Mohammed Malah, a member of the NFF Technical and Development Committee, will now be unable to participate in the event.
The UEFA U16 Development Tournament, which holds nostalgic memories of the now-discontinued UEFA-CAF U17 Meridian Tournament, was seen as an opportunity for the Future Eagles to develop their talent at the international competition. The visa denial, however, has dashed these hopes, leaving the NFF and the Nigerian football community disappointed.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
