The Future Eagles, a boys’ U-15 squad from Nigeria, were unable to participate in the UEFA U-16 Development Tournament because the Spanish Embassy refused to grant them a visa.
According to insider accounts, the Spanish embassy had doubts about whether any of the players who were chosen for the trip actually fit the U-15 criterion because of their ages.
On Monday, April 8, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) issued an official statement through its official means of communication to deliver this disheartening news.
The Future Eagles were ready to take on formidable opponents like Belgium, Italy, and England in games set for April 12, 14, and 17, respectively. Originally, they were supposed to leave for Spain on Tuesday. Nigeria’s remarkable success in youth football—which includes five global titles for U-17 boys and two participation in the FIFA U-20 global Cup final—earned it a special invitation to the competition.
Twenty players from the Future Eagles made up the delegation, which was guided by well-known NFF Technical and Development Committee member Zannah Malah.
The NFF expressed their disappointment that the Future Eagles would not be able to display their talent in the UEFA U-16 Development Tournament on Twitter after the visa was denied.
