Why Golden Eaglets Have Failed to Fly – Manu Garba
Nigeria’s once-dominant U17 national team, the Golden Eaglets, have seen a worrying drop in performance, and former coach Manu Garba believes it all started with changes made under former NFF President Amaju Pinnick.
The Golden Eaglets, who won the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2013 and 2015, have failed to keep up the success. Most recently, they didn’t qualify for the 2025 U17 Africa Cup of Nations or the FIFA U17 World Cup in Qatar.
Garba, who led the Eaglets to World Cup glory in 2013, says removing match bonuses for youth teams was a major reason for the team’s decline.
“One reason is that the removal of match bonuses for age-grade teams by former NFF president Amaju Pinnick did more harm than good. Paying match bonuses used to be a strong motivation,” Garba told The Nation.
He added that 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.
Pinnick, who became NFF president in 2014, oversaw Nigeria’s 2015 U17 World Cup victory with stars like Victor Osimhen and Kelechi Nwakali. But after that success, the decision to stop paying bonuses to youth teams was introduced — and according to Garba, the results have been poor ever since.
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 spent months together before the AFCON qualifiers and went on to score 25 goals and concede only four. That team won several individual and team awards, including fair play and best goalkeeper.”
Since 2015, the Golden Eaglets have failed to make their mark at continental and global tournaments. They last won the Africa U17 Cup of Nations in 2007 and are now set to miss a second straight FIFA U17 World Cup.
With both motivation and preparation levels falling short, Nigeria’s once-famous youth football system is struggling to fly — and many are now calling for a return to the structures that once made the Golden Eaglets the pride of the world.
