Eboboritse apologises for Golden Eaglets’ WAFU B disappointment
Eboboritse Uwejamomere, the head coach of the Golden Eaglets has apologised to Nigerians for the team’s disappointing campaign at the ongoing WAFU B U-17 tournament taking place in Burkina Faso.
The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria crashed out of the WAFU B U-17 tournament following their 1-1 draw with Côte d’Ivoire in their second Group B game played on Saturday.
The Nigerian team needed a win in the game to qualify for the next round after losing their first Group match 2-1 against Niger Republic but could not secure three points against the Ivorian team- a result which ended the team’s participation in the competition.
Eboboritse who reflected on the team’s performance while speaking with journalists, appealed to Nigerians to forgive him because of the disappointment they feel.
He also stated that as a young coach, he is going to learn from the experience that he gained during the tournament and use it as an example going forward in his career.
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The coach said; “Obviously, the first impressions are unhappiness, disappointment. Now we are out of the tournament and more bigger picture is that we won’t go to the U-17 AFCON next year, we are unhappy and very disappointed overall.
“For my players, obviously young boys, 15, 16 year olds, they still have years ahead of them. This is like the first chapter of their career going into elite football. So it’s just to learn from this and just use this as an experience going forward in their career.
“For the fans back home, it’s a bitter feeling, a lot of them probably hate us right now but this is normal because they are fans, they are proud Nigerians, they want and they expect us to win every game, every tournament, that’s normal, back home I will feel disappointed.
“The only thing I can say to them is to forgive us because the disappointment they feel I’m also feeling, my players are also feeling the same disappointment.”
The Golden Eaglets will now miss the chance to qualify for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. By virtue of not attending the U-17 AFCON, the team will also not be at the 2027 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
