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The expected resurgence of Nigeria’s cadet national team, Golden Eaglets, under the guidance of acclaimed England-trained tactician, Eboboritse Uwejamomere, has not materialized as the Delta State coach failed to take them to the semi-finals of this year’s West African Football Union (WAFU)-B U17 Championship.
Sports247 reports that a 1-1 draw with Ivory Coast on Saturday was not enough to lift the Uwejamomere team out of the quagmire they fell into after losing their first match of the competition 2-1 to Niger Republic, who then drew 1-1 with Ivory Coast in their second match.
With Niger Republic already in the semi-finals with four points, Nigeria needed to defeat Ivory Coast on Saturday to qualify for second place in the group, but dark clouds appeared over the Eaglets’ prospects when their rivals scored first during the decider in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
The Eaglets managed to equalize in the 80th minute, but it was not enough to keep their WAFU-B U17 campaign alive, as the 1-1 draw meant the Uwejamomere team came third with a single point, while the Ivorians moved ahead with two.
Consequently, Uwejamomere’s team has been eliminated from this championship and will not advance to the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, while Niger Republic and Ivory Coast advance to the semi-finals, still with hopes of reaching the African final.
On the other hand, Nigeria will now miss three consecutive editions of the U-17 AFCON and four consecutive FIFA U-17 World Cup tournaments, keeping the Eaglets stuck in past glory at this level, while the declared credentials that Uwejamomere flaunted as a youth football expert have been thrown in the trash.
It also affects a promising flight for the coach, whose full name is Eboboritse Omasanjuwa Uwejamomere, as in the past he has been a data analyst for the Super Eagles and Super Falcons, as well as academy director for Sporting Lagos FC.
He has also worked as an academy coach at Millwall, Gillingham and Nottingham Forest in England, as well as a head coach/technical advisor at FC Nilayo and Stormers SC, backed by a UEFA A License, which he obtained in May 2024, as well as a Master’s Degree in Advanced Performance Football Coaching from the University of South Wales (2022-2024).
Unfortunately, an early sign of a setback for him came when he was banned from sitting on his team’s bench at the WAFU-B Championship because he does not have a CAF A license, which meant he could not communicate directly with his players during the action at the Stade du 4-Août in Ouagadougou.
