Golden Eaglets' Selection Process Should Be Interrogated - Governorship Aspirant, Gombe State

Golden Eaglets' Selection Process Should Be Interrogated - Governorship Aspirant

By Niyi Busari

Khamisu Ahmed Mailantarki, the Governorship aspirant, Gombe state and owner of Mailantarki Care F.C, Abuja has called for interrogation on how the players that made the final list to the 2023 CAF U17 African Nations Cup, BSNSports.com.ng can report.

Golden Eaglets were bundled out of the CAF U17 AFCON after a 2-1 loss to Burkina Faso in the quarter-final of the competition. The loss means that the five-time World Cup champions failed to the ticket to 2023 World Cup in Peru.

BSN Sports had reported that the Nigeria U17 national team coach, Nduka Ugbade singlehandedly selected players that were invited and those that finally made the cut for the CAF age grade competition (https://bsnsports.com.ng/post/U17-AFCON--How-NFF-Masterminded-Golden-Eaglets-Failure).

This without input of the Nigeria Football Federation Technical Department and other assistant coaches.

Reacting, Mailantarki explained how best legs couldn't make the team to the 2023 U17 AFCON.

"The selection process (of Golden Eaglets) need to be questioned. The NFF has to come up with a measure that will make sure that we don't leave the best out of the team because such players don't have someone to push them." The governorship aspirant said.

He continued, "As a patriotic Nigerian, I am very sad because we do have players to beat any team in the world. But because modus operandi of the selection process was wrong, we have been reduced to a laughing stock.

The NFF has a lot of work to do because we saw it coming right from the onset because this is a situation where in the U17 camp two players I knew that were best were dropped. Other players and those who watched their training confirmed that those were the two most performing players in camp but very unfortunate that at the end of the exercise they were dropped. And when I asked for reason. The national team coach (Nduka Ugbade) told me that they were dropped because they cannot communicate.

" How can you say they were dropped because of communication? Is that really matter in football? The coach then said he reserved them for the world cup. And I asked, how can you go to the World Cup when you don't go to the Nation's Cup with the best players? You left your best legs at home and said you reserve them for World Cup. Then I knew something was wrong.

"But I prayed for them and wished them success so that they can come back with the world cup ticket. But see what happened.

The NFF should not allow the coach to do everything regarding the team. This is a national issue and the best legs must represent Nigeria if we want to get it right." He concluded.